


Curse of the Mystic Kingdom

by MissMarySue



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, F/F, F/M, Fairy Tale Curses, Fantasy, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-06 07:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8741455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMarySue/pseuds/MissMarySue
Summary: [FANTASY AU] After an Unknown boy leads MC into a portal, she finds herself transported into a mystical world where she must save a cursed kingdom alongside her five new companions: a lazy apprentice, a narcissistic knight, an overworked advisor, a cold prince, and a mischievous wizard.





	1. An Unknown Voice

 

 _The first thing she noticed was the eye insignia on the castle walls._  

_It was the most bizarre sight she had ever witnessed: a green and white castle, looming thirty feet high, in the middle of the mountains. The thick fog made it difficult for her to see the details other than the green roof and dark curtains, but the bits of light trickling from the windows signified something lied inside. Goosebumps prickled her skin as she shivered. An ominous aura emanated from this castle, some eerie menace that made her gut scream that this was danger in front of her._

_And yet, she continued walking towards it._

_Her feet dragged across the dirt like lead. Everything about her body weighed her down, telling her to turn back and run, but she couldn’t. Curiosity tugged at her like invisible threads that pulled her closer towards the entrance. The steps led to a stone door towering above her. Though it was sealed shut, she felt as if it would open any minute, swallowing her whole._

_A voice echoed in the distance. “Come closer… closer…”_

_The doors began to creak open, and she saw darkness._

MC opened her eyes, waking up from the dream. Sunlight trickled through the flimsy tent she had set up the night before. It was so early in the morning that even the birds hadn’t woken her up with their chirps yet. So what did? She thought she had heard a voice, but she wasn’t sure.

She unzipped the tent and stepped outside for a stretch. Fresh air wafted into her nostrils as she exhaled with relief. This was why she loved camping in the mountains. There was something peaceful about escaping the city and getting back in touch with nature. She had spent most of yesterday afternoon hiking along trails and taking photographs of the breathtaking forests, and ended the night by setting up a campfire and falling asleep in her tent. 

Fortunately, the castle she saw only turned out to be a dream. Real life returned her back to common sense - of course there wouldn’t be something like that in the middle of the mountains. Especially with such a strange symbol of an eye…

_“Hello? Can anyone hear me?”_

A male voice echoed through the mountains, startling her. Goosebumps raised on her skin again as flashbacks of the castle fleeted through her mind. The voice was so familiar, just like the one that echoed through the fog, but that couldn’t be possible. This was just her imagination.

_“Please, someone help…!”_

She snapped her head up at the cry, realizing the voice had been real, and must have trickled into her subconscious while she was asleep. She scanned her surroundings, but couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from.

“Hello? Who are you?” she shouted. 

 _“Is someone there? Thank God!”_ the voice cried. _“I’ve been trapped here for the past three days. Please help me!”_

MC narrowed down the direction of the voice to be coming from the east. Leaving her tent and belongings behind, she climbed down the mountain and shouted back that she was coming for him. She strained to keep yelling and maintain a conversation with him so that he didn’t feel scared. He revealed himself to be a college student from Korea, traveling alone for a summer abroad trip, only to lose his map and cell phone during a landslide that trapped him underneath rockfall. The more they talked, the more she felt inclined to rush even faster to his aid and help this poor young man.

The voice led her off the main path. She found a hidden alcove near a secluded area in the mountains, past the winding trees where the sun no longer shed any light. The voice grew louder with each passing step she took to the point where she could hear even his whimpers.

She discovered the rock and debris that had piled together into a heap, where the stranger was muffled underneath. Rushing towards the slope, MC frantically dove into the avalanche and picked up the rocks, yelling that she was going to help him out. A minute of digging through the rocks revealed not a body, but a door.

The stone door had no knob, nor a lock. Strange markings had been etched onto the surface, almost like somebody had carved illegible numbers. She froze upon seeing this door and its strange placement in the middle of the mountains. Even stranger, the voice continued talking to her from behind.

_“Are you at the door?”_

“I am,” she said. “Are you in there? How do I get through…?” Moreover, how did this person end up here in the first place?

_“Trace the markings. Then you’ll be able to get in and help me.”_

MC blinked at the strange etches on the door. Normally, she would have questioned the bizarre circumstances of this situation. But whenever it came to helping someone, she didn’t hesitate.

She placed a palm on the symbols, and to her shock, they began glowing under her touch. She gasped. 

_“Yes, that’s it. Good girl…”_

The door began sliding down like a fortress. The stranger’s voice turned hazy, echoing through her ears as if they stretched down a long hall. She called out to him, but the unknown voice began to turn quieter. Pushing herself forward, she entered through the door and stepped inside.

The other side revealed to be a room about the size of a studio apartment, but the antique decorations made it anything but that. Her sneakers squeaked against the old wooden floorboards as she gawked at the lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Rows of scrolls perched against the wall next to her. They were rolled up into cylinders and tucked neatly into compartments. She couldn’t count how many scrolls there were, but it looked like hundreds.

A small desk sat in the corner of the room with blank parchment paper and a quill pen. Propped next to it was an even smaller altar. The candles had been blown out, leaving only dried incense sticks. Tiny frames were propped behind the clay pot, but there were no pictures.

It occurred to her that she was standing in the middle of a shrine, and that the stranger she just spoke with was nowhere to be found.

“Hello?” MC called out to seemingly nobody. She turned around to where she came from, but nearly hit a wall. Gulping, she placed her palms on the wall and began feeling it to find a switch, a lever, anything to bring her back to the mountains. Because this was not where she came from, not at all.

Where _was_ she? 

A ringing sound shot in her ears. She clamped her hands over them and spun around to face the standing mirror in the corner. The glass was blinking a strange light, and even though it wasn’t broken, colorful cracks had formed across the surface like a kaleidoscope. The ringing died down as she heard a new voice this time, one from a crying boy who appeared in one of the glass fragments that glowed green.

He had a small face with blonde hair and purple eyes, welling up from tears. He wore a shabby hat and overalls, and when he rolled up his sleeves, dirt and bruises peppered around his arms. 

“I can’t believe I failed another test,” he wailed. “Why does training horses have to be so hard? And why do they keep kicking me?!”

A separate fragment on the mirror glimmered, this time with a red color that matched the curly hair of a new face. He wore a pointed hat and round spectacles in an eccentric shade of yellow.

“That’s ‘cause you spent all day playing Dragonslayer,” he snickered. “Your guild master expected you to read your books, not throw wooden swords with the other village kids.”

 “How do you know that’s what I was doing? You don’t even live in my village,” the blonde boy pouted.

The redhead waved a wooden handstick in the air as if he were composing a symphony. “Legendary Wizard Seven knows all!”

A silver light shined as another young man appeared inside the mirror. He wore chainmail armor from head to toe, but took off his helmet to reveal a handsome face and starkingly red eyes.

“Tsk, tsk. What an irresponsible apprentice,” he clicked his tongue. “Horses can sense when you’re stressed, you know? You have to be suave, like me. A knight must lead the horse, not let the horse lead him.”

A purple glow radiated as a dark-haired man joined the conversation. The crown sitting on top of his head was flashier than his passive, stony face.

“I disagree. We should let animals lead us,” he said. “They have sharper instincts than humans like Zen do, therefore, it’s up to us to cooperate with their needs accordingly. Perhaps Yoosung’s horse has not enjoyed eating the hay that the commoners have been feeding her. She most likely is demanding more delicious treats, like apples, carrots, or… _Nay_ , watermelon rinds.”

Zen gawked at the dark-haired man’s monologue. “Did you seriously just make a horse pun?”

“ _Neigh_.”

Yoosung started sweating. “Umm, I can’t just bring watermelon rinds with me whenever I want,” he said. “Those fruits take eighty days to grow... and my next exam is in seven days.”

Zen nodded. “Seriously, a prince like Jumin should never give advice to commoners. You have no idea where we’re coming from when you’ve lived your whole life in a fancy castle.”

“It’s not my fault I was born as royalty,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“Wait!” The mirror glowed red as Seven waved his arms in the air, the long sleeves of his robe billowing. “I think someone is watching from Rika’s mirror.”

All of the boys’ eyes widened. Yoosung’s cap fell off his head as he jumped up. “What?! How? Is it a wizard?!”

Seven squinted as he peered closer. MC gulped as it felt like his own eyes caught hers.

“Looks like a girl,” he said.

“Then a witch?!” Yoosung shrieked.

“Oh, she’s a very _cute_ witch,” Zen cooed, a glimmer in his eye as he fixed his sight on her.

A ringing sound echoed as Jumin grabbed a bell and started shaking it. “Advisor Kang, your presence is needed.”

A fifth glass fragment on the mirror glowed a warm, yellow aura. For the first time, MC heard a female voice. A woman with short brown hair tilted her glasses. “Yes, Prince Han, I’m here.”

“Why is a stranger watching us from Rika’s mirror?” he demanded, pointing at MC.

“No one can communicate with us through the mirrors unless they have the specific ones that Seven created with his magic. I’m not sure how this person has Rika’s personal mirror. 

Seven furrowed his eyebrows. “Huh. This is weird. They can’t use it unless they’re actually _inside_ the shrine, which means they broke into it. But my spell was supposed to prevent anyone from coming in…”

“Um,” MC cleared her throat and finally spoke up. “Who are all of you…?”

Yoosung screamed. “AHH! Jaehee! The witch talked!”

“I’m not a witch. My name is MC.”

“M… C?” Jaehee asked.

“Er, it’s a nickname,” she replied. “I’m confused right now, too. I was camping in the mountains, and there was a landslide, and somebody needed help. I followed his voice through a strange door and ended up here.”

“Somebody led you to Rika’s shrine?” Zen asked. “Who was it?”

“I don’t know. He said he was a student from Korea.”

 “Korea? I’ve never heard of such a kingdom,” Jumin said.

 "That’s because it doesn’t exist,” Jaehee replied, eyeing the mirror with newfound suspicion. “I’ve certainly never seen it on any atlas.”

 MC blinked. How could Korea not exist? In fact, how could these five strangers be talking through a magic mirror in the first place? The whole experience felt so surreal. She was beginning to realize that this was a separate world, one that was completely different from hers.

 “Should I send the guards?” Jumin asked.

 “Hold on. I’m getting V,” Seven said.

He began waving his wand and chanting under his breath while the other four scrutinized their own mirrors.They all held different expressions upon closer inspection. Jaehee’s eyes still remained narrow with suspicion, while Yoosung’s were widened with curiosity and awe, his mouth agape. Zen, on the other hand, had a smile stretched across his lips as he said that she did, indeed, look cute from the mirror. Jumin snapped at him to focus on the issue at hand as he kept his own face unperturbed.

MC sat still on a pillow perched in front of the altar. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling awkward at having so many pairs of eyes on her, let alone having all the chatter revolve around her sudden appearance. She didn’t even know how she ended up here, and a small fearful thought popped up in the back of her mind that she might not know how to go back, either.

She was growing nervous in this strange shrine, surrounded by strange people, in this strange world. But then a soft azure light began to radiate from the mirror, and a man with striking blue eyes and hair materialized. He appeared calm and poised, yet there was something about his enigmatic aura that told MC he may know more than everyone else. And, if that was the case, maybe he would know how she could get back home.

“Hello, everyone,” he greeted. “Seven informed me about what happened. MC is currently in Rika’s shrine, and her clothes seem to indicate that she’s not from this land.”

“Seven’s spell is supposed to protect the shrine from any outsiders,” Jumin said.

“Yes,” V replied, “no one is supposed to be able to break the spell, let alone know where the shrine is. Not even me.”

Yoosung’s face darkened. “I thought V knew,” he muttered. “I’m her cousin, and I don’t even know where the shrine is. Is there actually a spell protecting it, or are you just keeping it a secret from us because you don’t trust us?”

V shook his head, remaining calm. “The spell is meant to protect the scrolls kept inside. I can’t reveal the location because those scrolls contain personal information about the people of Mystic Kingdom.” 

“You mean everyone who has attended the ceremonies,” Jumin clarified.

V nodded, paused for a moment, and then faced his mirror with a serious expression.

“For the sake of the kingdom, I urge everyone not to seek out the shrine. MC, please don’t reveal your whereabouts, and refrain from touching the scrolls.”

“I don’t even know where I am,” MC said, then pointed at her background, “or what these scrolls are supposed to be for. I was just trying to help someone and ended up here.” 

“But you were able to break the spell and enter the shrine,” Jaehee said, keeping a cautious stare on MC. “That is truly unusual, let alone impossible for an outsider.” 

“If my hunch is correct… someone Rika trusted must have led her to this world. Maybe… Rika wanted her work to continue on.”

Everyone fell silent upon V’s words. Expressions of doubt clouded the mirror, as if no one could believe his theory.

“Are you saying Rika called upon this random person to break the kingdom’s curse?” Jumin asked.

“I don’t believe it,” Yoosung argued. “There’s no way Rika trusted anyone more than us.”

“It’s just a guess. MC is an outsider of the kingdom, but she could enter the shrine because she was resistant to Seven’s spell. Maybe she is the chosen one to perform the ceremony, just like Rika was.”

The awkward silence and murmurs proved that the others were still doubtful of V’s words. Yoosung’s face paled, as if he was getting sick. It was Seven who broke the reverie with agreement.

“If it’s what V thinks, I won’t oppose it.” 

Slowly, the murmurs turned into acceptance, even though hesitation still marred their faces. MC took this chance to raise her hand and interrupt the conversation. 

“Um, I still don’t know what’s going on here,” she said. “What do you all mean by curses and ceremonies? And who is Rika?”

Seven clasped his hands together. “I guess we should explain everything, right?”

Jumin nodded and was the first to volunteer. “I don’t know where you came from, MC, but this land is the Mystic Kingdom, ruled by my father. For years we ruled the kingdom with prosperity, and that was thanks to working with Rika and V.”

“Rika is a priestess, and V is a duke,” Zen clarified. “When they were engaged, V had his servants build a shrine for her so that she could prepare for her ceremony every year.”

“These ceremonies were for keeping peace within the kingdom,” Yoosung added. “Rika wanted everyone to live a happy and full life without any trouble or sadness. Everyone would attend these ceremonies and be blessed by her magic. We didn’t know how she did it… she was just amazing like that.”

Zen took in a deep breath. “And now, Rika is no longer with us.” The room turned quiet and still. “She passed away almost two years ago. Ever since then, without her ceremonies, the kingdom has been cursed.”

MC stared at everyone’s crestfallen faces. She clasped a hand to her chest, feeling a twinge in her heart. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “She must have been an incredible person.”

“It’s not fair,” Yoosung said, and turned away from the mirror, his body shaking.

“What is this curse?” MC asked.

“It’s a curse that affects everyone in the kingdom, but in different ways,” Jaehee explained. “Sometimes they are physical, and sometimes they are mental. We’re not sure how these curses manifest themselves, but we do know they seem to worsen over time.”

“My father was one of the first to be afflicted,” Jumin said. “He has always been a sensible king. But now, he is blinded by his lust for women, and let his own kingdom go to ruins with his foolishness.”

Jumin had gritted his teeth as he said this, and Jaehee’s dispirited expression proved his words were no understatement. MC gulped as she imagined the repercussions of a curse that could affect everyone’s lives and each other’s so drastically. She scanned the mirror, wondering what everyone’s curses could be if they were all different. Her eyes met with Zen’s, and he seemed to know what she was thinking right away.

He clasped a hand to his cheek and sighed. “And my curse, I soon discovered, was good looks. Ah, it’s so unfortunate..."

“As you can see, Zen’s curse is narcissism,” Jumin said flatly.

“At least I didn’t end up turning into a cold and unfeeling rock like you,” Zen huffed.

Seven waved his arms in the air. “And these two are forever cursed with unresolved sexual tension!” He cleared his throat after they shot glares at him. “Alright, alright, if we actually go into detail about every single person’s curse, we’d never have a ceremony again, would we?”

Jaehee nodded. “I’m shocked to be saying this, but Seven’s right. Let’s get straight to the point: MC, will you be willing to continue Rika’s ceremonies and save our kingdom?”

All eyes fell on her. She gulped. She didn’t want to reject their request, because of the horrible situation that all of these people were in, but she didn’t want to accept it so quickly, either. She had her own life that she needed to return back to.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “This is a lot to take in. I need to think about it.”

Jaehee tilted her glasses. “I understand. Unfortunately, we can’t spend much time waiting for your answer, since you are technically trespassing in a sacred shrine. If you’re not willing to help, it would be ineffective for you to freeload there.”

“Oh! I think Jaehee’s glasses are tinting,” Seven said.

“Aww, give her a break, Jaehee. The maiden must be overwhelmed by everything. Why don’t we give her a day to decide?” Zen suggested. He met MC’s eyes again and flashed a charming smile. “Although, I do hope you end up joining us. It would be lovely to have another pretty girl to talk to…”

Jaehee raised her eyebrow. “Very well,” she conceded. “She will have the rest of today to think about it. By the end of sunrise, we will wait to hear your answer.”

MC nodded in agreement, but wasn’t sure what her answer would be in a few hours. Part of her wanted to wait and see if she would wake up and find out it was all a dream, but somehow she figured it wouldn’t be that easy. 

Jaehee was the first to bid goodbye and leave, disappearing from the glass fragments of the mirror as an orange aura faded away. The others began to depart one by one afterward: Zen with his knightly duties, Jumin with a royal court case to attend, Yoosung with another game of Dragonslayer, and Seven with a new task of figuring out where the unknown force who had brought her to this world came from.

The mirror was mostly empty, except for one face remaining, which she realized had been quiet for most of this time. She stared into V’s eyes, blue and distant.

“I don’t know whether you will join us or not, but… I want to thank you.”

“For what?” she asked.

“For giving hope.” 

She continued gazing at V’s face. She was perplexed by the way his eyes looked like glass, empty yet full of sorrow at the same time, staring at her but not truly looking at her. He was an enigma that she couldn’t see through clearly like the rest of the people she met in the mirror-- a glass that she couldn’t tell was half full or half empty. 

She didn’t know if she could give the hope that everyone needed. She was just an outsider, after all.

But when she looked at V, she felt like hope was something he had already lost a long time ago.


	2. The Lazy Apprentice

 

Before V left, he helped MC draw a map so that she would have a better idea of how to navigate around the new world she had been brought in. Of course, it would have been much easier if he knew where the shrine was located, but he knew enough landmarks for her to draw out on a fresh sheet of parchment paper and analyze for directional context clues.

She stepped outside of the shrine and hiked around the area so that she could pinpoint the shrine was located on her makeshift map. She was surrounded by mountains and forestry, a secluded area that made her feel like she could at least pretend this was an extended camping trip. By placing a stick on the ground and watching its shadow, she was able to determine north from south even without a compass.

With that new revelation, she jotted a few notes on her map. In the far north would be the Han Castle, and in the western direction she would find neighboring villages. She decided to go southward instead to locate a river that V mentioned. She used the landmark as an opportunity for bathing and washing her clothes, having not showered in a couple of days since she started her camping trip. She returned to the shrine to use the outhouse in the back and hang up her wet clothes.

The shrine had an extra pair of clothes folded neatly in the corner: a priestess robe made of silk. She was hesitant to wear another person's clothes, but made a mental note that she would simply return it back to its spot when she told Jaehee her decision by the end of the day.

Of course… that was if she decided not to help them break their curse.

She still didn't know what her answer was. Where would she even go afterward? She checked every crevice of the shrine to find the portal she came from, but nothing alluding to her own world seemed to exist anymore. When she turned to the mirror and saw herself dressed as a priestess, she felt even more nervous, like she was staring at a stranger rather than herself. These clothes fit her body, but not _her._ She didn't know how she could possibly do anything to help these people, when she couldn't even help herself.

Her stomach growled. She placed a hand over her belly, realizing she hadn't eaten all morning. The shrine and its vicinity fulfilled all of her needs except for food. She picked up the map again and traced a finger over the closest town out west. Maybe they would have something for her to eat.

 

* * *

 

The town was modest and humble, but it was so small that people recognized a newcomer like her right away. She felt like all eyes were watching her as she trekked down the pathway. She fiddled with the hem of her robe awkwardly, feeling like an impostor in this clothing.

Her nose picked up the scent of food nearby. She drew close to a butcher shop, which had pork and chicken hung up by rope. Her stomach growled again at the delicious sight, and she wiped her mouth to keep saliva from spilling. The butcher emerged from behind the table, his apron soaked in dried blood. He narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" He eyed her from head to toe. "Are you actually a priestess?"

"Um, I'm new here," she replied. "I was hoping to get some food. Your pork looks delicious."

He pointed at the meat. "Twenty gil per pound."

"Gil?"

"Yes, twenty gil. This isn't for haggling."

She gulped. She was so preoccupied with her hunger that she hadn't considered the fact that she needed to pay for it. And from the sound of things, it didn't seem like the butcher accepted dollars, yen, won, or any other currency that existed in her world.

She dug her hands in the pockets of her robe, hoping to have some stroke of luck where she'd have enough money to pay for a meal. But she only found a scrap of paper. On the note was a message that had been written with soft, delicate handwriting.

> _You and I loved each other multiple times on Earth._
> 
> _I want to feel you again. I want to love you more._
> 
> _Let's make a promise to meet on Earth again._

She furrowed her eyebrows. What was this... a poem? A letter? She wondered who wrote it, but given whose robe this used to belong to, it didn't take long for her to make a guess.

"Rika? Is it you…?"

A boy's voice called in her direction. She perked up at the familiar sound and turned around. Standing in the pathway, mouth agape, was a blonde boy with the same dirty hat and overalls she met this morning. His purple eyes were wide and quivering like the rest of his body, as if he was looking at a ghost.

"I'm not Rika," she answered. "I'm just borrowing her clothes for now. Are you… Yoosung?"

He seemed to remember to breathe again as his chest deflated. The wooden sword strapped to his belt clanged against his trousers as he ran up to her.

"MC?! I can't believe it's you!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

She tucked the note back into her pocket. "I was trying to find food, but… I don't have any money."

He gasped. "Ahh, I totally didn't think about that!" He grabbed her hand in his. "Follow me. My parents run a bakery, so we can feed you!""

She was pulled away to follow his lead before she could even respond, or even react in surprise by how energetic he was. They passed by other village children who waved their wooden swords and shouted for Yoosung to join them in battle, but he grinned and declined them to play at a later time.

He burst through the backdoor of a shop, and they were met by tempting aroma of baked bread. A middle-aged man had just pulled a fresh batch out of the oven when he noticed their arrival.

"Oh? Yoosung, you're home early." He stopped in his tracks when he saw MC. "Could this be… your girlfriend?"

Yoosung widened his eyes. "W-what? It's not like that, Dad!"

"Then why are you holding this young lady's hand?"

Yoosung gawked at his hand, which was still holding hers. He let out a yelp as he yanked his arm away. His ears turned red.

"Gah! I'm so sorry, MC! We just met, and I, um, I..."

"It's fine," she laughed, then bowed to greet his father. "Nice to meet you. I'm new here, so Yoosung was showing me around."

A woman emerged from the kitchen, wiping a pan with a towel. She smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling upon noticing MC. "Yoosung, dear, have you finally brought home a girlfriend?"

"'Finally'?" MC repeated.

Yoosung shushed his mother, then turned to MC. "It's the curse!" he explained. "Ever since the ceremonies stopped, I've been cursed with not getting a girlfriend."

"Did you have any before the curse?"

His face fell. "Um.. actually… I've never had a girlfriend before either…"

Tears started welling in his eyes as his lips drew together into a pout. She stifled a chuckle at how adorably innocent this boy was turning out to be. His parents laughed as they brought their son in for a hug, then invited MC into their kitchen. They seemed like such a happy family that she found it hard to believe everyday people like them were cursed. She wondered if maybe they were just immune to it, that this 'cursed kingdom' was just an exaggeration.

They shared their meals with her as she explained how she had gotten transported to this world.

"Well, it's a good thing Yoosung is able to help you," his mother said cheerfully. "He's usually so busy studying for his guild leader's tests, I'm surprised he has time to play with new friends!"

Yoosung let out a laugh that sounded more like a cough, nearly choking on his bread. His parents continued gushing over their son and his top ranking in his guild. Yoosung turned pale with each compliment, and he swatted his hand to get his parents to tone them down. His mother beamed, relentless with praise.

"There's no need to be so humble," she said. "I bet you haven't even told Rika about your ranking yet, have you? She said she would visit the bakery today, so you should tell her the good news."

Yoosung froze in his seat, his mouth gaped but no words coming out. MC furrowed her eyebrows. Something wasn't matching up. Their words sounded genuine and honest, but at the same time they felt out of place. Yoosung got along with his family, but his smile looked crooked, like a painting that hadn't been hung straight.

He had turned quiet after the mention of Rika, staring at his plate full of bread crumbs. Suddenly, he got up from his chair, announcing to his parents that they needed to leave so that he could show MC the rest of the town before it got dark. They hugged him and bid goodbye, with MC following Yoosung whose pace seemed more rapid than usual. As if he wanted to get out of the bakery as soon as possible.

She sped up a couple of steps to catch up to him. "What did your parents mean back there?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets. "They weren't lying," he said. "About me being top rank in my guild. About Rika. Those things were all true two years ago."

She blinked, and Yoosung stopped in his tracks, turning to face her.

"My parents think their curses are just forgetfulness. Like not remembering to turn the oven off, and getting burnt bread. But it's much worse than that. What they don't know is, they're repeating every day as if it were still two years ago. Before I fell out of the rankings… and before Rika died."

Yoosung looked like he was about to cry again, but the fact that he didn't this time seemed to hurt even more. She stared at the boy with sympathy as the puzzle pieces started forming together. So the curse was real. Yoosung didn't live with his parents anymore, and she suspected that it might have had less to do with joining a guild and more because he was trying to escape his past that the curse left him stuck with. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to watch his parents age over time and never get closure.

And if repeating the same day over and over again was what his parents were cursed with, she couldn't imagine what Yoosung's curse could be.

Yoosung took in a breath and forced a smile at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to depress you. Let me show you around town, okay?"

She nodded and followed his lead, but couldn't help gazing at every other person they passed by, wondering what each and every one of their curses could be. It was like an itch that she found herself surprised to scratch, even though it wasn't her place to. She wasn't a priestess, after all. She was just wearing the clothes of one.

Yoosung spent the next hour giving a tour of the town and pointing out popular spots in the area. She felt like she was going through the first day of orientation at college again, except instead of a campus, it was a small town in a fantasy world-she still needed to get used to that. He showed her various merchant shops, a giant library, and a water fountain famous for collecting gil coins as wishes. By the time they reached the guildhall, Yoosung showed her his room.

It was a tiny room, no bigger than a studio apartment in her world, filled with knickknacks and clothes piled on the floor. Yoosung gasped as he frantically picked up his underwear and shoved them underneath his cot.

"Sorry! I don't usually bring guests over so I never clean up," he said. "Actually, this is my first time bringing a girl over… Ah! But don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to you! I'm a good guy, I swear! Oh man, it sounds even _more_ suspicious if I have to say that…"

She laughed and said it was fine, but he still scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. She scanned the room before her eyes landed on the the guild badges lined up on his desk. They varied in color and symbols from all kinds of organizations, ranging from soapmakers to blacksmiths.

"Were you really in all of these guilds?" she asked.

"Yeah. Well, I went back and forth between them a bunch of times," he explained. "There's just so many that it's hard to choose. You're supposed to stick to one so that you can practice the craft and become a certified merchant, but how do we know what we're supposed to do for the rest of our lives?"

He sighed as he began musing over his short-lived experiences in each guild. She supposed that the uncertainty of the future was universal for every student, no matter what world they came from.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," she said, smiling. "Don't think of it as what you're _supposed_ to do, but what you _enjoy_ doing."

"All I want to do is play Dragonslayer," he replied. "Do you have that in your world?"

"No, but I imagine we have something pretty similar," she laughed.

Their conversation was interrupted by a ringing sound. They turned to Yoosung's standing mirror in the corner of his room, which was identical to the one Rika had in her shrine. Colorful lights beamed from the glass before a face appeared. His silver hair and prominent bone structure made it easy to instantly recognize that it was Zen.

His jaw dropped wide as he gasped dramatically in horror.

"MC, what's Yoosung doing with you? This isn't fair. Why does he get to meet you first, of all people?!" he cried. Then his eyes widened as he peered closer through the mirror. "Wait a minute… are you in his room? No, NO! Unacceptable!"

"What do you mean by 'of all people'?" Yoosung complained. "I ran into her in town and was showing her around."

A red light shined through the glass as Seven appeared. He hunched his back over and tapped his wand to his chin. A fake white beard instantly sprouted from his face.

"Well, well, well," he mused in an exaggerated tone of an elderly man man, "who would have thought that out of all people, our young grasshopper Yoosung would be the first to ensnare MC?"

"Like I said, what do you mean by 'of all people'?" Yoosung griped.

"Be careful, MC," Zen warned. "Even though Yoosung is young, he's still a man. This is why you need a knight by your side to protect you!"

"I'm fine, really," she said. "Yoosung was introducing me to his town. We were just talking about all the guilds he's been in."

A purple haze appeared as Jumin appeared. In the mirror, he rested on his throne, his chin resting on his palm and a disturbed expression.

"It's so noisy in here. What's going on?" he demanded.

"Turns out to be nothing scandalous, unfortunately," Seven said in a normal voice, his beard disappearing. "I think Yoosung was just showing MC all the guilds he's failed in."

"Hey, I earned those badges for my achievements!" Yoosung protested. "It's just… well, it's hard to keep up with studying for all the tests, and once you fail one, it's impossible to get back up."

"Hey, I'm not saying it's _your_ fault. It's just the curse that makes you fail at everything," Seven said.

Jumin nodded. "From what I recall, you used to be a top ranking guild member. But the curse of incompetence can make any man fall to failure in life."

"I thought his curse was just being lazy," Zen said.

"Laziness is the excuse that incompetent people make." He gestured over to Zen. "Exhibit A."

Zen rolled his eyes and was ready to bark a retort at Jumin, but Seven cleared his throat to make a dramatic narration.

"As you can see, Yoosung is a very unlucky boy. So unlucky, in fact, that no one can tell what his curse is. Is it his laziness? Is it his incompetence? Or is he just dumb? Will we ever know?"

Yoosung groaned in annoyance. "Well, _sorry_ for being bad at everything! I can't just solve everything with magic like you," he said. "Also, I didn't come here so that you all can bully me in front of MC, so _bye_!"

He turned the mirror around to face the wall despite the rest of the boys' yells of protests. MC glanced out the window, noticing the sun was starting to set.

"Ah, I should go back to the shrine before it gets dark."

"Oh, you're right. I wouldn't want you to walk back in the middle of the night." Yoosung's eyebrows pinched together in worry. "I want to walk you home, but… V said we're not supposed to know where Rika's shrine is."

His face turned into a scowl at the mention of V. Not wanting to bring up his resentment, MC insisted that she would be fine as long as she walked back right now. She thanked him for the lunch today.

"Of course! Lunch is one of the three most important meals of the day, you know," he said. Before she could question weren't there only three meals in a day, he continued, "I had a lot of fun with you today. And… i-if you don't mind, I'd love to cook for you someday. Um, I don't know if I'd be good at it, but I really like cooking."

A hint of a blush crept up to his cheeks, before his eyes widened as an idea popped in his head. He told her to wait one moment as he scurried out of his room. When he returned, he handed her several small bags that looked like coin sacks. She was surprised to feel how light it was sitting in her palm, and peered inside to see a bunch of seeds instead of coins.

"You should grow a garden at Rika's place so that you don't have to worry about food. I grew a lot of my own food when I started living on my own," he said. "You've planted a vegetable garden before, right?"

She shook her head.

"Oh, okay. Well, vegetables need at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, so remember to plant them in a sunny spot. Oh, and their roots penetrate soft soil easily, so make sure to put them in nice, loamy soil. And you have to space your crops properly, because if you set your plants too close together, they'll compete for all sorts of things like sunlight, water, and nutrition. When I grow corn, I make sure to give them a lot of space because they'll overshadow shorter vegetables."

She gawked at him as he rambled on with tips to sustain a healthy vegetable garden, until he blinked, stopping.

"Sorry, was that too much? I can write it down for you."

But it wasn't that. She couldn't say anything because the wheels in her head was turning, closer to fitting the puzzle pieces together. Yoosung wasn't stupid, nor was he lazy or incompetent. Not at all. His array of guild badges, and his knowledge and diligence for farming and cooking, all proved otherwise. This was a boy who was more intelligent than everyone assumed.

"What if the curses aren't what we believe them to be?" she murmured.

"Huh?"

"Yoosung, you're so much smarter than you think you are. There's no way your curse is incompetence," she said. "Things like being lazy, or narcissistic, or cold… those traits just seem too _shallow_ , too easy to attribute to someone. Maybe these curses have remained for so long because we're unaware of what they actually are. And you can't break a curse unless you know what it is."

Yoosung paused for a moment, contemplating over her words. She started to wonder if she had spoken too much, or stepped over a line she shouldn't have. She had just met all of these people, after all. Who was she to make all these assumptions? Yet, something in her gut told her that she was getting closer to the truth. And it was something that she didn't find easy to shake off anymore.

"When Rika was alive," Yoosung started to murmur, "she would perform her ceremonies so easily, so gracefully. It was like magic. But I think it's because she had such an incredible ability to read people… to really see inside their souls."

His purple eyes gazed at her.

"When I met you, somehow, I knew you were like Rika," he said. "And it's not because of your clothes. I can tell you have a good heart, just like she did. And I believe you'll be able to save the kingdom again, too."

She balled her fingers into a fist, clenching the seeds in her palm. "I'm not Rika, though," she said. And maybe that was why she had such doubts about continuing these ceremonies in the first place. She didn't want to fill in somebody else's shoes, or be seen as another person. She was just her own person-and she didn't know if that was good enough.

She didn't want to disappoint them.

But, she realized, that didn't stop her from wanting to help them.

 

* * *

 

She arrived back to the shrine right when it got dark, so she decided that she would plant the seeds Yoosung gave her tomorrow. The clothes she hung up had dried off, so she changed out of the priestess robe and back into her regular hiking outfit. She felt more comfortable like this, like she was wearing her own skin.

The mirror in the corner glowed a warm, yellow-orange light and she realized someone was appearing from the other side. A brown-haired woman she recognized as Jaehee, the royal advisor.

"Good evening," Jaehee said. She sat at her desk with a pile of parchment paper arranged neatly together. "It's been a full day. I'm sure you've had some time to think this over. Have you made your decision yet?

MC sat down on the pillow in front of the mirror and placed her hands on her lap. She had made the decision during her walk home, still contemplating about this world, the curses, and the truth of what they could be.

"Yes," she said. "I will help perform the ceremony."

Jaehee's eyebrows went up just slightly, but she did well in hiding her surprise and kept a straight face.

"I'm sure that wasn't an easy choice to make. Thank you," she said. "How about you visit the Han castle? I can help you with preparing for the ceremony there and get you onboarded with everything."

MC nodded. "That sounds good. When should I visit?"

Jaehee pulled out a piece of paper, presumably a schedule. She grabbed a quill pen and began marking down a spot. "How about we make an appointment for tomorrow morning?"

MC smiled. "We're helping each other now. You don't need to be so formal and call it an appointment."

"It's my job as an advisor to do so," Jaehee said. "But if it makes you feel more at ease, then we can make… a date?"

MC gawked at the mirror for a moment, with Jaehee staring blankly back at her before her eyes widened in realization. Her glasses fogged up as she fumbled nervously with the papers on her desk.

"Ah, no, no, I didn't mean it like that," she said, her short hair revealing the redness of her ears. "I mean, it technically _is_ a date, if we were to look at the dictionary definition of it, but- _ahem_... I'll see you tomorrow, MC. Excuse me."

Her presence quickly faded from the mirror screen. MC covered her mouth and stifled a giggle. For someone who seemed so strict and rigid, it was oddly cute to see Jaehee get flustered.

She crawled into a cot to fall asleep, resting her head on the pillow and wrapping herself in the blanket. It felt odd to sleep in a home that wasn't hers, but she had gotten used to sleeping in a tent during her camping trip that she tried to see it as an extension of that, as well. This was a long camping trip that she wasn't sure when it would end.

But this was only day one. She closed her eyes, waiting for the second day to come.


	3. The Overworked Advisor

She thought about her theory with the curses throughout the night, and even the next morning when she woke up. As she dug up some rows of soil and planted the seeds that Yoosung had given her, thoughts continued to swirl around the mysterious implications of the curses and what they could mean.

How did this kingdom become cursed in the first place? How were each individual’s curses decided upon?

Or was it truly random, a happenstance that was like a roulette of bad luck?

Somehow, she doubted that.

Since she hadn’t met many people in this world yet, her thoughts mainly centered around the five individuals she had met yesterday through the mirror. They seemed to have been certain of each other’s curses already. Everyone assumed Yoosung’s was laziness and incompetence. Jumin had said that Zen’s curse was narcissism, and Zen had retorted that Jumin’s was being cold and unfeeling like a robot.

No one really spoke of Jaehee, so she thought of a few possibilities. Being distrustworthy of others? Acting too rigid, strict? She remembered the intimidating pile of papers that had sat on Jaehee’s desk. Maybe Jaehee worked too much?

She shook her head. There was no way these curses could be that simple.

Then she realized something else: what was Seven’s curse? When she thought about it, she knew about him the least. She supposed that, if she did her job right, she would find out eventually.

And this job would start today, visiting the Han Castle.

She wore her hiking clothes that had dried off from yesterday, as she felt it suitable for her trek northward to the location. She followed the general direction by map and was starting to worry that maybe she calculated wrong and was heading to an incorrect place, but once the towers appeared in the distance, there was no denying that belonged to royalty.

She crossed a drawbridge leading to the castle, but was stopped by two guards that had been posted outside the large gates. They stood intimidatingly tall, refusing to budge.

“State your business.”

“Um, my name is MC,” she said. They cocked their heads to the side. She supposed her strange name didn’t help her case too well. “I’m here to see Jaehee to help prepare for the ceremony.”

“Ceremony? The kingdom hasn’t hosted such a thing in years,” the guard said suspiciously, eyeing her up and down. “Your clothes are quite strange, as well. What type of woman shows that much skin?”

She fidgeted awkwardly in her tank top and shorts, regretting that she chose not to wear the priestess robe. But she had felt so awkward in it yesterday, and she was sure that the thick layers would have made her sweaty and gross during her trek here.

The guards began murmuring amongst each other, and she clenched her eyes, mentally preparing herself to get thrown out. But then she heard a man call out her name, a suave yet kind voice, and she looked up to see a guard approaching from behind the gate.

“MC, you’re here!”

He lifted his helmet to reveal his starking red eyes and silver locks of hair, a handsome smile spreading across his lips. He turned on the switch to open the gates, but before the guards could protest, he clamped a reassuring hand on their shoulders.

“Don’t worry, men. This young maiden here is a new friend of ours.”

He turned to her, then spotted her loose tank top. His face immediately turned red as he forced himself to look up to the sky, avoiding staring at her chest.

“M-MC!! You can’t go around dressed like that!”

“Sorry. I didn’t think they were a big deal. They’re normal hiking clothes from my world,” she said. “Could you show me where Jaehee is?”

Zen put his helmet back on but still slapped his hands over his eyes like a blushing child, even though he was much taller and muscular than the other two guards beside the gate. He kept his face turned and pointed in the direction past the gates.

“I’d offer to escort you, but my shift for gate duty starts now. But Jaehee will be right inside, so you’ll find her easily. And ask her for a pair of clothes, please, so that I can look at you without thinking such… such thoughts...!”

“Okay, okay,” she said, rushing past the gates. Zen had turned out to be even more handsome in person, so she felt slightly embarrassed for their first meeting to turn out inappropriate. She hoped things wouldn’t go too badly with Jaehee.

When she entered the gates, she found that the Han castle was more luxurious than any picture from a fairy tale book she had read. Large stone pillars paved the way for a grand entrance hall with crystal chandeliers and marble floors. She walked down the long red carpet that led to the centerpiece of the room, a table with a vase of purple flowers freshly watered and trimmed. She gawked around the enormous room, mouth agape with no idea of where to even go. She was afraid that turning down one direction would make her lost forever.

Fortunately, a pair of footsteps descended down one of the double staircases. Jaehee paced down the flight of stairs, her black robe trailing after her steps. She clutched a leather bound book and quill pen to her chest. When she reached the bottom of the stairs and met MC at eye level, the short-haired woman gave a curt bow to greet her.

“You must be MC. I am Advisor Kang. Thank you for coming here,” she said. “I apologize if you waited long for me. I had to take care of… a previous consultation.”

Her formal attire and gold threads showed that Jaehee was well-put together. While MC stuck like a sore thumb in the castle, Jaehee walked around with the demeanor of years of experience working with high-class royalty. Yet, MC couldn’t help but notice that her glasses seemed to sit crooked on her nose, and her hair looked slightly disheveled. Her gown had also collected an assortment of white hair, as if she were a walking lint roller. From the tired look on her face, MC wondered if maybe this person was so stressed out that she was getting white hairs already.

“Oh no, it’s fine. I just got here,” she said, then looked sheepishly down at her tank top. “I think I might need some new clothes though.”

Jaehee scanned her outfit, from the top of her spaghetti straps to the bottom of her worn-out sneakers. One of her eyebrows twitched. “Yes… I would have thought you knew better than to wear something more suitable for this occasion.”

“I wasn’t comfortable wearing Rika’s clothes,” she admitted. “I guess I didn’t want you all to see me as a replacement for her. I mean, I _am_ taking on her role, but… I’m my own person, and I don’t want people to expect me to be anything else.”

Jaehee stared for a moment with an unreadable expression that MC couldn’t decipher. She waited for the woman to respond, but instead, Jaehee turned away and told her to follow, maintaining her curt demeanor. Her shoulders sagged as she followed, slightly dejected. Her first meeting with Jaehee wasn’t turning out any better than she expected.

 

* * *

 

After Jaehee helped her change into a new set of clothes, which was a long gown covered by a tunic, she gave a tour around the many rooms of the castle. A peek at the leatherbound journal in Jaehee’s hand made MC realize that she had composed an entire agenda for their day, outlining topics to go over and common questions to answer. If Yoosung’s tour around the town was like a college orientation, Jaehee’s was like an intense interview at a stuffy corporation.

The first item on the agenda was the introduction of their world and the Han Castle.

“I realize you’re not just new to the ceremony, but to this world in general, so I’ll try my best to explain it succinctly to you,” she said. “Our country, Cheritzia, is ruled by a great variety of kingdoms. King Han rules the Mystic Kingdom, which once stood as the most prosperous place in the entire country. However, since the manifestation of our curses, much of the commonwealth’s livelihood has declined. His Highness is looking into establishing good relations with other rulers, like our neighboring royalty in the Echo Kingdom, but… well, Prince Han seems to believe that you performing the ceremony will be more promising.”

They walked down long halls with elegantly carved pillars, libraries with thousands of hardcover books, and a green house flourishing with flowers and vines. It was a total contrast from the small town she had seen during her first day here, where the highest entertainment for the village children were chalk drawings and wooden swords. She wondered what it must feel like to live in a safe haven while the rest of the people outside were suffering--but, surely, even the royal class must have been cursed in their own ways as well.

Jaehee led them to the second item on the agenda: the ceremonial room. The room looked wide enough to fit hundreds of people, and despite the lavish decor of the rest of the castle, this area looked much more humble. Prayer mats and candles lined row by row, and an altar sat at the front beside a pillow cushion and a tea set.

“This is where Rika performed the ceremonies,” Jaehee explained. “People from all over the kingdom would come in, pray, and then line up to speak with her. She would meet with them one by one and write their curses down on a scroll before sealing it.”

Jaehee paced over to the front of the room, gesturing to the altar that contained stacks of parchment paper with an ink pad and brush. The paper had collected dust, and the ink was already dried up. MC felt empty in this vast room, knowing it had been years since any human presence had entered here.

“These scrolls were kept in Rika’s shrine, never to be seen by any eyes again. There’s a belief that if anyone opened those scrolls, the previous curses would be released back into the world.”

“So that’s why V didn’t want me to open anything there,” MC said. “They had personal information of all the guests who previously attended these ceremonies.”

Jaehee nodded. “That seems to be the case. When it’s your turn to perform the ceremony, you’ll have to do the same thing as she did and seal those scrolls.”

She would have to know what everyone’s curses were, too. She bit her lip as she was beginning to understand the gravity of her role.

She pondered over what curse could have inflicted the king to neglect his kingdom and remain in his bubble for so many years. She mulled over how the prince had been handling this, as well. From what she remembered in their first conversation through the mirror, Jumin had seemed displeased by his father, enough to even have faith in a stranger like her to help save them.

And then her thoughts drifted to Jaehee, who was checkmarking off every topic she discussed with poise and concentration. She wondered what Jaehee’s curse could be, too.

Jaehee caught her stare. “Did you have any questions?” she inquired.

“Ah… I was just thinking about what you and the others are like. The ones I met through the mirror. Ever since this morning, I’ve been wondering what your curses could be, and how I could help.”

Jaehee nodded. “Let me properly introduce everyone, then. The people you communicated with through the mirror are all friends of V. They came together to help plan and organize Rika’s ceremonies. V and Rika had wanted to bring together people from different classes and backgrounds in order to accurately reflect the kingdom’s needs.”

She opened her notebook and drew five circles on a blank page, then wrote down a name under each circle.

“First, of course, is Prince Jumin Han. He is the only son of His Highness and the next in line to rule the kingdom. But while his father is cursed with weakness for women, Prince Han seems to be afflicted by the opposite. He has no interest in other people, let alone women, and hardly shows any caring feelings towards others. His Highness is quite worried that he won’t find a Queen to inhabit the kingdom if he continues acting like this.”

She lifted her quill pen over Yoosung’s name next.

“Then there is Yoosung Kim, who I’m sure you’re well acquainted with by now. After an esteemed life as a high ranking guild member, he has suffered a huge setback from becoming a lazy and incompetent apprentice.”

She tapped Zen’s name, but this time a sparkle gleamed in her eye.

“There is Zen, or formally known as Knight Hyun Ryu. He has been cursed with impossibly handsome looks… it can be very, very distracting. He can hardly perform his knight duties without groups of women flocking to him.”

She hovered her quill pen over Seven, paused, then drew a question mark.

“As for Seven… well, I’m not sure what his curse is. Much about him remains a mystery. The only thing I do know is that he’s ridiculous, and his name was Luciel before he became a wizard.”

Finally, she landed on one single letter: V. And just like Seven, she drew a question mark there.

“It’s the same with V. He’s been very closed off and absent since Rika died, so we hardly ever see him to even guess what his curse could be,” she said. “Or maybe he doesn’t want others to know what it is.”

She remembered the note she had round in Rika’s priestess robe the other day. The handwritten message about reincarnation, and loving someone forever. Maybe that message had been meant for V. Surely, Rika’s death must have hit him the hardest.

MC pursed her lips as she stared at Jaehee’s paper with the five names written down. The gears in her mind started turning again.

“May I take out this page?” she asked.

Jaehee hesitated for a moment, then obliged, letting her tear off the page. She stared at the written names, then crinkled the paper to fold it in half. She turned the blank backside over to Jaehee.

“When we look at people, we only see the surface. But humans aren’t one-sided and can’t be categorized so simply. So what if there’s more to the curses than they appear?” She tapped the blank side of the page. “Do you think that, maybe, we’re not looking at it from another side?”

Jaehee furrowed her brow as she contemplated over the analogy. She took the paper back and tucked it in her notebook, then closed it.

“That is an interesting theory,” she said. “But I can’t imagine how the curses could be anything deeper than that. And even if they were, I’m not sure how an outsider like you could figure it out. After all, you’re still new, and to be honest, we don’t know you very well.”

She blinked at Jaehee’s words. Although she couldn’t deny that they were realistic and objectively true, she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Jaehee didn’t like her. She saw her as an outsider and explicitly called her on it. It was like Jaehee drew an invisible line between them, scrutinizing her until due notice.

“Jaehee… are you against me performing the ceremony?” she asked.

"Well, I do think it’s too soon to trust you. You’re a stranger from a different world we’ve never heard of,” Jaehee said. “But my role as an advisor is to simply do what's best for the kingdom. So it doesn’t matter what my feelings are."

Jaehee had stated that so plainly and simply that it took MC a second to realize that she didn’t deny her question. She wanted to protest that how Jaehee felt about her, about their strange situation, _did_ matter. But she wasn’t sure if it was her place as a stranger to say anything, so she kept her lips pursed and nodded.

She stared at the back of Jaehee’s head as she followed the advisor for the remainder of the tour. When they wrapped up, they had wound back to the entrance hall. Jaehee had gone full-depth about all the crooks and crevices of the castle, but she still couldn’t shake her thoughts off of the woman speaking in front of her.

“That should cover it. Any last questions?”

This was her last chance. She decided not to let her curiosity slide anymore.

“Yes, I do,” she said. “Earlier, you introduced me to everyone involved in planning the ceremony. But you never even wrote down your name, even though you play just as much as a part as everyone else.”

Jaehee blinked. “I didn’t think it was particularly important to talk about myself.”

“Well, I’d like to know more about you,” she encouraged.

Jaehee crinkled her forehead, not out of annoyance, but from contemplation as she tried to pull together words that were outside what she had planned in her agenda.

“There’s not much to say. I work as the royal advisor for Prince Han to assist his transition as king. And if you are curious, my curse is that I am constantly overworked.”

MC blinked. “Is… is that really it? Being overworked?”

“There’s nothing deeper than that. I’m lucky to have such an esteemed job among the royal family, so being exhausted from working too hard is the only burden I should expect to have. I’m very plain otherwise. I apologize if I’m not as fun and exciting as the others.”

MC gawked at Jaehee. She felt like she was staring at a front page again, but she was itching to turn the book and look at the other side. Jaehee talked about herself so simply, but MC just couldn’t believe she was restricted to nothing more than her job and some slightly self-deprecating words.

She opened her mouth to speak, but a bell clang in the distance. Jaehee’s head perked up immediately. “Prince Han is calling for me,” she said. “He must want to meet you.”

She followed Jaehee down the hallway and entered a throne room. A long red carpet stretched to the two chairs at the end of the room, one of which was occupied by a young man with dark hair and regal attire. But what caught her attention immediately was the large painting framed above his head, nearly taking up the entire wall.

The painting was incredibly detailed, a masterful mixture of watercolors to create the image of a white cat with beautiful blue eyes. She gaped her mouth open at the size of the canvas, wondering how many men it took to hang up such a large painting.

“Prince Han, this is MC,” Jaehee said, bowing. “I have just finished her orientation around the castle and the ceremony process.”

“It’s good to meet you.” His voice was deep and serious, a tone that would make anyone certain he belonged to royalty. Jumin’s dark eyes followed her stare. He craned his head up to the painting. “I see you are admiring this picture of Elizabeth the 3rd.”

“Oh. Um, yes, it’s beautiful,” MC said, still gawking.

“V painted this for me two years ago per my request. I have the guards protect it every night. Something so valuable is at risk of being stolen when it is presented so openly, but her beauty must be acknowledged.” The chandeliers reflected a dazzling light in Jumin’s eyes that oddly didn’t seem to appear until he started talking about Elizabeth. “I treasure this painting more than any gold or artifact I own. It is so beautiful that I can forgive V for not painting the exact amount of fur I counted on Elizabeth’s body.”

Jaehee whispered, “Please don’t ask how he calculated that.”

She nodded feebly. “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you. I plan to do my best for the ceremony.”

“That’s good to hear. I expect great things from you from now on.”

She felt better that the prince himself seemed to approve of her, but a small part of her was still bothered that his advisor wasn’t as keen. Jaehee bowed to excuse herself, but Jumin cocked his head to the side.

“Why are you leaving?” he said.

“I thought you wanted to meet MC,” she said.

“That’s not why I called you here.” He gestured to the little throne beside his chair. A diamond-encrusted bowl had been drilled in both armchairs. “I gave you the important duty of looking after Elizabeth the 3rd while I was away for my trip. Now that I’ve returned, she needs to sit next to me in her rightful throne. Bring her to me.”

Jaehee sighed. “Yes, Prince Han. I’ll bring her after I escort MC.”

She followed Jaehee out of the throne room and crossed down the hallway, taking a few glances at the advisor. She was beginning to understand the source of the white hair in Jaehee’s robe now, along with why she had seemed so stressed and busy prior to meeting her.

“The prince seems to care for his cat a lot,” MC remarked.

Jaehee rubbed her forehead wearily. “You said that there might be other sides to the curse, right? I’d believe you if Prince Han’s curse was actually being obsessed with that furry creature.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I hope today has been helpful for you. Have a safe trip.”

She waved goodbye as Jaehee went back up the staircase. Once Jaehee disappeared, she couldn’t help but emit a sigh. Even though they had spent the morning together, it didn’t seem like Jaehee had liked her very much. Things didn’t go as smoothly as she had hoped, and she felt disappointed by that.

Her feet treaded heavily as she left the castle. She was just about to approach the gates when she heard someone running up from behind her. A hand flew to her shoulder, and she spun around to see a wide-eyed Jaehee, panting for breath.

“Elizabeth the 3rd is gone,” she said between panicked breaths. “Have you seen her?”

She shook her head. “Did she run away?”

“No, I kept her in my room with her favorite pillows and food. When I returned, the window had been left open. I think someone took her.” Color drained from Jaehee’s face. Her knees dropped to the ground as she clutched her head in her hands, breathing heavily. “I’m going to be fired. I was supposed to look after her. Prince Han will…”

She grabbed Jaehee by the shoulders, trying to calm her down. “This isn’t your fault, Jaehee. You can explain it to Jumin. I’m sure he will understand.”

“No, he won’t. I’m going to lose my job. I can’t afford to lose it,” Jaehee said, her voice wavering.

MC tried to offer words of consolation. “I’m sure everything will turn out fine!”

Jaehee shook her head. “You don’t understand. I don’t know what kind of world you live in, MC, but in this world, a woman like me can’t simply go after any job I want. Even to become an advisor for Prince Han, I had to cut my hair and remove myself from any femininity to be taken seriously.”

Remorse filled Jaehee’s face as she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. MC bit her lip, then scanned the gates around the castle, trying to think of a plan.

“I’ll help you find Elizabeth. Jumin won’t have to know about this,” she said. “The castle is heavily guarded, so she couldn’t have gone far. It’ll be faster if we both look together.”

Jaehee looked surprised at the offer, but nodded and tried to collect herself together. They went back inside the castle and decided to go in separate directions to cover all areas. While Jaehee scoured the first floor, MC went up the stairs to look through all the conference rooms and closets, asking everyone along the way if they had seen Elizabeth. She grew increasingly worried as she found nothing.

It wasn’t until she glanced out a window that she spotted the courtyard behind the castle. Something white blurred through the garden. She had a hunch and ran downstairs, bursting out of the castle’s backdoors. She traveled past the water fountains and entered the garden maze, cupping her hand over her mouth to call out Elizabeth’s name.

Her ears picked up the faint sound of scurrying. She peered through the leaves of a tall bush and spotted a white, furry tail. Elizabeth meowed as someone took her by the paws and made her dance on two feet. She shifted her gaze to spot the perpetrator: a woman with long, red hair in a frilly maid outfit and stockings. The woman was snickering under her breath as she kept harassing the cat and making it dance.

MC narrowed her eyes. This was an impostor who must have sneaked into the castle posing as a maid. She jumped out of her hiding spot and pointed a finger at the perpetrator.

“Put Elizabeth down!”

The maid widened her eyes, and once MC met her face-to-face, she recognized the golden color in their gaze. The maid’s lips curled into a mischievous grin as they hoisted Elizabeth into their arms.

“Yes, you have caught me. I am the famous assassin rogue from the thieves guild here to capture Princess Elly, and my mission will not be squandered!” the maid declared, then gazed into Elizabeth’s blue eyes, their voice beginning to soften. “But… what will I do? All my life I’ve been a thief, and yet, for the first time, my heart has been _stolen_!”

The thief squeezed Elizabeth into a tight hug, and MC could have sworn that hearts were filling up their eyes. She grinned, relieved that this kidnapper was harmless, and decided to play along. She grabbed a twig and pointed it in the air like a sword.

“A fatal mistake you’ve made, falling in love! Unfortunately, this ends here. I am Wizard Six Oh Six, Defender of Justice, and I will not let you elope with the princess!”

She jumped forward and jabbed the stick to the thief’s stomach. The thief let out a pained cry and fell backwards, releasing Elizabeth. MC grabbed the cat in her arms and watched the dramatic death scene play out before her as the thief gasped their very last breath. Their hand reached towards Elizabeth, trembling in weakness, before they collapsed completely, closing their eyes for the very last time.

She knelt down beside the dead maid. “Good job getting past the guards with that disguise… Seven.”

His golden pair of eyes popped wide open and he jumped to his feet. He pulled out his wand and twirled it in the air, covering himself with a cloud of smoke. When the cloud disappeared, he was back in his regular outfit and wizard hat.

“Same to you,” he returned the compliment, grinning from ear to ear. “I never thought I’d meet someone who could see past me that easily!”

“You gave Jaehee quite the scare, you know.”

“I can’t help it. Elly is soooo cute,” Seven gushed, slapping his palms to his face as he cooed towards the cat. He stopped when his eyes drifted upwards to MC, and his smile drooped just slightly. “I guess I should have known. Our love would never work out. After all… we come from two different worlds.”

He talked so seriously just now that for a moment, she was impressed by his acting. But his laugh broke the reverie once more, and with another wave of his wand, a cloud of smoke swirled around his body until he disappeared from the garden.

 

* * *

 

She was still carrying Elizabeth in her arms when she reunited with Jaehee at the entrance hall of the castle. Jaehee breathed a huge sigh of relief and thanked her profusely as she received the cat.

“Could you wait here for a moment?” Jaehee asked. She was surprised at the request but nodded. Jaehee left to return Elizabeth to Jumin. When she returned, she carried a large bag that draped over her arm.

When MC received the bag, she peeked inside and realized they were several pairs of clothes.

“These are new clothes for you, so that you have other things to wear while you’re here. I… apologize for not being more sensitive. When I thought about it, it must have been a daunting experience to be thrown into a new world, away from everything you know.” She paused for a moment, then kept her gaze steady as she admitted, “To be honest, I was hesitant about having you perform the ceremony because I didn’t think a stranger should take on such an important job like Rika’s. But, when you said that you wanted to approach this as your own self… I admired that.”

A pleasant feeling fluttered in MC’s chest. She smiled at Jaehee’s genuine compliment, knowing how meaningful it was coming from her.

“You know, I disagree with what you said earlier.”

Jaehee blinked. “What I said?”

“Earlier, you called yourself plain and unimportant. But I think you are so much more than that. I know we just met, but after everything I’ve seen today, I can tell that you’re hardworking, and dedicated, and kind. Even though you didn’t trust me, and even though you were already so busy with… a certain white-haired princess,” she laughed, “you still went out of your way to help me out today. I appreciate that so much, Jaehee. _Thank you_.”

Jaehee’s ears were beginning to turn red. She awkwardly fumbled with her notebook--the one that had been filled with her carefully written agenda for MC today.

“Oh… thank you for saying so,” she mumbled. “I… hope I get to know you better too, MC.”

Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink, but she still returned a smile to MC, and it was something that she hoped to see from Jaehee more often.

She thanked Jaehee for giving her clothes, feeling incredibly relieved that the day was turning out better than she thought. She was just about to say goodbye and leave when the pleasant reverie was interrupted by a crashing noise outside. They exchanged worried looks and rushed to the door. When they opened it, a discarded helmet was rolling on the ground.

She looked up to see silver locks of hair and angry, red eyes. Zen was fuming as he stomped past the gates. When another guard tried to protest, Zen put his hand up.

“No! Enough is enough. I refuse to work for the royal family and that stupid prince any longer,” he said. “I quit!”

She gulped as she watched Zen storm off from the castle.

It seemed like when one problem ended, another began.


	4. The Narcissistic Knight

 

She picked up the helmet, but by the time she looked up, Zen was already gone.

What had happened? She had just seen Zen this morning, bright and dazzling as ever, only to watch him quit his knightly duties and storm out of the castle. He had looked seriously upset, and though she could tell from their group conversation through the mirror that he seemed to have a distaste for Jumin, she didn’t think it would go this far as to abandoning his responsibilities.

She followed Jaehee back inside the castle, matching her brisk pace towards the throne room. They burst through the doors to find Jumin sitting, his arm stretched out to the smaller throne beside his own. Elizabeth had been returned safely and was nestling comfortably on her pillow, purring as her master petted her.

“Prince Han, what happened with Zen?” Jaehee inquired. “He just left the castle renounced as a knight. Did you make him quit?”

“Of course not. In fact, I was offering him a promotion as Head of Knights. It was an incredible opportunity, but instead he decided to be ungrateful. He has always been an insolent one, refusing all of my generous offers.”

Jaehee raised an eyebrow. “If I may ask, if he is so insolent, what made you offer to promote him?”

Jumin stopped petting Elizabeth. Slowly, his arm raised, and he pinched his finger and thumb together as if he were about to snap. Upon closer inspection, they realized he had picked out a strand of red hair.

“ _ This _ is why. I knew right away when Elizabeth had been returned that something was different about her. She had come into contact with that cat abuser.” Jumin narrowed his eyes at Jaehee. “It suddenly became imperative that Elizabeth needed her own bodyguard, since I cannot even trust my own advisor to fulfill her duties.”

Jaehee clenched her teeth. “With due respect, sir, it was never written in my advisor duties to take care of your pet.”

“A royal advisor is expected to serve royalty, and Elizabeth the 3rd is our  _ princess _ . Does taking care of our princess, or at the very least, making sure she is not kidnapped by a perverted wizard, not fit perfectly within your job description?”

“It wasn’t Jaehee’s fault,” MC spoke up. “She had to spend the morning helping me with the ceremonial process. She can’t be expected to be in two places at once. Please, don’t fire her.”

“I have no intentions of doing so.” Once Jumin said that, Jaehee breathed a sigh of relief. “Since we’ve decided to return our annual ceremony under unusual circumstances, I am willing to overlook this just once. But that does not mean my Elizabeth the 3rd is safe.”

He pointed at Jaehee, causing her to straighten her posture stiffly, as if she already knew what was coming next.

“Advisor Kang, I expect you to go on a kingdom-wide search for the most qualified person to have the honor of becoming Elizabeth’s bodyguard. I cannot trust the rest of the knights we have, as they have so foolishly let Seven kidnap her under their noses. I want you to search across the entire country to find the perfect fit.”

Jaehee’s face was beginning to pale. “The entire country? Prince Han, perhaps we should focus on something more important.” Her forehead crinkled as she was going through a list of a thousand other alternatives. “The princess from the Echo Kingdom is visiting the castle tonight. It would be highly beneficial for the Mystic Kingdom if we maintain a good relationship with them.”

“My father must have arranged that, because I do not care for such trivial matters. The only queen I will accept for this kingdom is Elizabeth. Which makes it all the more urgent that you find her a bodyguard right this instance.”

Jaehee spoke, “But I--”

“Advisor Kang.” Jumin cut her off. “Search for Elizabeth’s bodyguard _.  _ That is an order.”

Jaehee shut her mouth instantly, silenced. Her knuckles whitened from the tight grip of her notebook, but she still pivoted and went marching out of the room immediately, more like a soldier under command than an advisor.

MC followed Jaehee at her heels as they headed towards a separate room hidden underneath the staircase. Inside the room was a desk filled to the brim with bookshelves and paperwork. She recognized the desk as the one she watched through the mirror, and sure enough, a small mirror sat propped on her desk.

Jaehee grabbed the brown satchel hanging from the rack and began packing.

“You don’t have to do this, Jaehee.”

“It’s Prince Han’s orders,” she replied, not once looking up as she began filtering through documents to store in her bag. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, and her hands moved quickly, as if they knew she shouldn’t spend any more time lingering in the castle.

“But he can’t expect you to travel all across the country for this, can he? You already have so much on your plate...”

Jaehee sighed. “It doesn’t matter whether I want to do it or not. I don’t have a choice but to follow his orders. That’s how it’s always been.”

MC bit her lip, wishing that she could change Jaehee’s mind. “At least let me help you then,” she compromised. “Is there anything I can do to lessen your workload?”

“I couldn’t ask that of you, MC. You’re already doing so much for us.” She buttoned her satchel and straightened her back, contemplating the offer. “But... I can’t help but still worry about Zen. Although he is severely allergic to cats, he did not need to quit his job so suddenly. If you don’t mind, maybe you could try talking to him, since I’ll be too busy to do so.”

MC nodded. “Sure, I can do that.”

“Thank you. Please try talking him into becoming a knight again. It’s not just because it would save me the trouble of finding a bodyguard for Elizabeth, but also… Zen needs to remember how incredibly important it is to have a job and earn a living. In this economy, we can’t afford to do as we please.”

Jaehee bid goodbye as she left in a hurry. MC was left wondering how she would be able to help Zen, but that wouldn’t be possible if she couldn’t find him in the first place. How would she even know where he left? She wished that this world had cell phones, or at least  _ something _ close enough to it. Her eyes trailed towards the desk mirror propped on the table, and it clicked.

She scooted in Jaehee’s chair and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She waved a hand in front of the item, unsure of how to operate it, but hoped that it would at least work.

“Zen? Are you there?” she called. If she could at least contact him through the mirror, she would be able to talk things out with him and find out why he left the castle.

But instead of Zen appearing, a different boy emerged in the glass fragments instead. His red hair and patterned glasses were the brightest things in the room, as she couldn’t make out anything in his background.

“It is I, Seven, the Legendary Wizard!” He wriggled from the bottom of the mirror, pretending to be floating out of a bottle. “Today’s your lucky day, MC. I’m a genie here to grant you one special wish. Why? Just ‘cuz I feel like being a genie today! And also because I’m bored without Elly.”

MC smiled. “Wow, I’ve never met a genie before!” She played along with his skit. “You’re so cool, Genie Seven! Can I really get any wish I want?”

Seven twirled his imaginary mustache. “Unfortunately, with any magic, there are always restraints. Rule one: you are not allowed to kill anyone. Murder is a big no-no! Rule two: you are not allowed to revive anyone back from the dead. If only things were that easy, right? Rule three: you are not allowed to wish for more wishes. That’s the oldest trick in the book!”

“Gotcha. Anything else I should know before making my wish?”

A shadow fell upon Seven’s face, no doubt for dramatic effect. In a spooky voice, he answered, “The final rule: you are not allowed to fall in love with the genie. Doing so will bring you great misery!”

“Oh? Why is that?”

Seven tucked his hands in his robes and shook his head, clicking his tongue like a wise old man would. “Magic is not all fun and games, young one. It comes at a great price… and for all magic-wielders, a great loss.”

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Okay then. My wish doesn’t break any of those rules. I just want to see where Zen is so I can talk to him.”

“Your wish is my command!”

Seven waved his wand, and with the flick of a wrist, a crystal ball appeared before him. He swirled his hands around the orb as an image began forming through the mist trapped inside the glass. She squinted her eyes and watched the tiny clouds dissipating, turning into a clear picture of Zen sitting on a barstool, chugging beer from a glass mug.

“It seems your fallen knight has found his way inside a tavern. He traveled quite the distance to get there,” Seven said.

“Can you take me there? Or is that another wish you’d have to grant?”

Seven rubbed his chin in contemplation. He waved his arm over the crystal ball so that it would disappear.

“It is,” he said slowly. “But I guess I can make it happen... just for you!”

She grinned. “Thanks for breaking the rules for me.”

Seven gave her a crooked smile through the mirror.

“You’re a dangerous one, MC. When I’m with you, I can’t help but want to break the rules.”

 

* * *

 

Seven had sent over an enchanted horse carriage to pick her up at the castle and lead her to the tavern. A white horse led the vehicle without needing a driver to pull the reins, as the magic allowed the animal to find its own direction to whichever location she desired. This, she thought, would be especially useful for not having to keep the shrine a secret from another person.

The horse stopped in front of the tavern, allowing her to step out of the carriage and enter the bar. She expected to take a while to find Zen, but locating him turned out to be almost too easy: in the midst of old drunkards, his beautiful face and gleaming hair stood out in the crowd. It also helped that he was standing in the middle of a stage, drunkenly singing at the top of his lungs in-between chugging beer.

She was surprised that even when he was intoxicated, Zen could sing beautifully. His deep voice had a delicate ring to it even if he couldn’t articulate certain words clearly. MC had to strain to listen though, because the stage was surrounded by all the female servers who have abandoned their posts to flock to his side. In between the musical notes, she could hear screams of “He’s so beautiful!” and “What a gorgeous face!” reverberating around the room.

Zen made sure to wink in their direction, relishing in the attention. The rest of the men in the tavern, however, did not look pleased by his presence. One of them shouted for him to shut up already and tried to aim a grapefruit at his head.

MC rushed over to the stage to pull him off to the side. “Zen! How much have you drank?!”

His red eyes latched onto hers, and his mouth gaped open in wonder. “Wow… you’re even cuter up close, MC,” he said. “I think you may be the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen. Even prettier than the redheaded maid I saw in the castle this morning. Ah, a shame I will never see her again...”

She laughed at the memory of Seven’s costume and white stockings. “I’m sure that maid is a lot closer than you think.”

“Don’t fret, my dear maiden,” Zen cooed, grasping her hands in his. “I don’t think I can look at any other woman now that I’m with you.”

She took this opportunity to pull on his hand and sling his arm around her shoulder. With his weight leaned against her, she slowly led him to the doors.

“The only thing I’m worried about is getting you back home safe. Can you tell me how to get to your place?”

Zen nodded as she brought him out to the horse carriage and helped him take a seat. He scooted over to the other side to allow her room, but once she sat down, his head plopped right on her lap. She nearly jumped in surprise.

“I’ve just found the best sleeping position,” he said, his eyes closed as his lips curled into a relaxed smile. “When I was a knight, I spent all my days surrounded by men. I’ve nearly forgotten how nice it is to be around a girl again.”

She gently shook his body. “Hey now, don’t fall asleep just yet. You need to tell me directions.”

“Did Seven send this horse carriage?” Zen mumbled. She nodded. “Not to worry, then. The horse will know where to go.”

He was right. The carriage had already started moving once they got in. She looked down at Zen on her lap. For a man who was singing so boisterously in the tavern moments ago, he suddenly looked so peaceful now.

“You shouldn’t drink so much all at once,” she said. “It’s bad for your health.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I was just so angry at him. No, I still am.”

Was he talking about Jumin? She scooted a little bit to her side to get more comfortable without trying to disturb Zen. “What did he do?”

He snorted. “For one thing, he acts like I don’t know any better. That I’m too stupid to make my own decisions. Just because he’s an elite, he thinks he can order me around.”

“Maybe it was a misunderstanding,” she tried to reason with him. “You did leave pretty abruptly. Have you tried talking to him?”

“No way. I don’t want to ever see him again. I feel like he betrayed me.”

She remembered Jaehee’s comment about how Zen was allergic to cats. Betrayal was such a strong word - she guessed that maybe when he first became a knight, Jumin had promised that he wouldn’t have to deal with Elizabeth. But that didn’t sound quite right, either.

“You don’t have to quit your job if you don’t want to be Head of the Knights,” she said. “A simple refusal would have been fine.”

He shook his head. “That’s not the point, MC. What matters is that I was  _ offered  _ to become one. That’s when I realized things had gone too far… that if I kept this going, I was going to become just like him.”

“Like him?”

“An elite,” answered Zen. “Someone who would prioritize his own status over my dreams.”

She paused. His words, though slurred, weighed heavily in the air.

“Zen,” she murmured, “are you talking about Jumin… or someone else?”

He opened his eyes and looked up at her. The red orbs in his gaze took on a sheen. He looked sad, even though he smiled politely.

“I’m sorry, MC. I must be troubling you with all of my rambling.”

She opened her mouth, wanting to tell him that she didn’t mind, that she actually wanted to learn more about him. She was beginning to understand that this young man, a person whom everyone had casted as a narcissist, was much more than his looks showed on the surface. But before they could continue the rest of their conversation, the wheels of the carriage were already slowing down.

She peered out of the window and saw they had stopped in front of an old building with a colossal dome. The pillars had cracks going down the ridges, as if it hadn’t been maintained in years. She helped Zen out of the carriage, hesitantly walking towards the doors.

“Um, are you sure this is where you live?”

“Of course it is!” Zen said.

They made their way inside and she found herself staring at rows of stone seats, lined up in circles that surrounded a central stage. It was an indoor amphitheatre with dusty benches and creaky, wooden floors. Candles surrounded the stage, but the wax had been melted into solid stumps, having not been lit in ages.

“This isn’t your home. It’s a theater.” An abandoned one, at that, but she didn’t mention that part.

“It’s home to me.”

Zen pointed at the ground, and it took a moment of confusion before she realized that there was a latch in the floorboards. He bent down to grab it, but she didn’t want any drunken accidents, so she helped hoist the hatch door open. A staircase descended into a basement, and she made Zen put some of his weight on her so that he would keep balance.

The basement underground was as small as Rika’s shrine, but definitely less decorative. There was only a cot in the corner, a pile of clothes, a standing mirror, and a bunch of empty space. It was so bare bones that she couldn’t believe someone was living here, but there was no doubt about it when Zen familiarly waltzed towards his bed and fell on top of his fleece blanket.

“Zen… why do you live in the basement of an abandoned theater?”

“For convenience,” he mumbled into his pillow. “I can practice my acting every day, before I go to sleep and after I wake up.”

“Acting?” she asked.

Zen rolled over so that he could show a blissful smile. “Yes. My dream is to become a bard.”

She picked at her brain to try to figure out what a bard was. In the depths of her memory, she recalled her high school history teacher lecturing about poets and bards in medieval culture. They were professional storytellers and music composers, similar to William Shakespeare. It surprised her to see him in this new light, as she had been accustomed to him being Zen the brave knight and soldier - but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

Even in his buzzed state, Zen picked up the contemplative expression on her face. “Are you dismayed?”

She shook her head and smiled. “No. I think that dream fits you perfectly.”

She didn’t think Zen could look any more handsome, until he beamed the brightest smile back at her. She wanted to hear more about him - his goals, the identity of the elite who had ‘betrayed’ him, and how he came to live in this place. But she knew that right now, he needed to rest. His half-lidded eyes were already starting to droop, so she told him goodnight and got ready to leave.

She was just about to head up the stairs when the mirror in the room started to flicker. Her eyes watched a green aura appear in the glass before Yoosung popped up.

“MC! What are you doing at Zen’s place?”

She put a finger to her lips, urging him to shush so that Zen’s sleep wouldn’t be disturbed. He clasped a palm over his mouth and whispered ‘sorry’.

In a low voice, she replied, “He drank too much, so I helped him get back home. Did you know Zen lives in a basement? It seems so restrictive, but he doesn’t look like he minds.”

“Ah, yeah, he lives under the theater he used to act in,” Yoosung whispered back. “I wonder if it will ever be rebuilt again.”

“Why is this place abandoned?”

“Well… ever since Rika passed away, and the curses were brought into the kingdom, we’ve been in a recession. So I guess there’s not much people can do in the arts anymore… it can be hard to find a job even if you’re trained in practical skills. That’s why I’m even more uncertain about my future.”

Yoosung sighed as he looked back at the guild badges propped on his desk. He had been taught so many different specialties, but if an apprentice like him felt dubious about his job prospects, what about a person who wanted to pursue the arts? She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Zen to scrape by. Suddenly the lack of furniture or decoration in this small basement made complete sense.

“So that’s why Zen became a knight,” she murmured. “It didn’t mean that he actually  _ wanted _ to be one… it was just so that he could survive”

Yoosung nodded. “Jaehee was the one who had offered him the role, too. I don’t think he would have accepted it otherwise if it came from Jumin.”

She looked back at Zen in bed, sleeping soundly. He had said that he practiced his acting every time he woke up and every night before he went to sleep. If he was doing that at home on top of his duties as a knight, then he must have been working during every waking hour. No wonder he was ready to fall asleep so quickly - it wasn’t because he drank too much. It was because he was exhausted.

“You’re not spending the night over there, are you?” Yoosung asked meekly. “Jaehee won’t be pleased with that, you know! And… I wouldn’t be either!”

“Don’t worry. I was just making sure he got back home safe. I’m going to head back to the shrine now.”

Yoosung breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.” He twirled his thumbs together in his lap, suddenly not willing to look her in the eye. “To be honest, I’m a little jealous that you’re taking care of Zen. Am I being too greedy?”

She smiled. The way he worried about something like this was too cute. “I’ll take care of you too, Yoosung.”

He beamed. “Really?! Yay!” He gasped and clamped a hand over his mouth, remembering that Zen was sleeping. He toned his voice back down to a whisper. “I should let you go. Get back safe, okay?”

She nodded and waved goodbye. Yoosung disappeared from the mirror and she was staring at her reflection again. She gave one last glance to Zen, wondering how someone sleeping could still look so handsome, before heading back.

An entire night passed after she arrived back to the shrine and slept in the bed. By the time she woke up, the sun had already begun to rise. She changed into a new pair of clothes that Jaehee had given her, and glanced at Rika’s robe that she had worn on her first day, folded and tucked neatly at the bedside. She wondered what this Rika person was like, beyond what the others had said about her. Rika seemed to have been close friends with the group, and yet she lived in a desolate place on her own in secrecy.

MC couldn’t help but wonder if there were other parts to Rika that they didn’t know about, and perhaps would never know since her death. She gazed at the rows of scrolls lining the shelves against the wall, sealed and never to be seen by another set of eyes again. They contained all the curses within the previous years, and while the rest of the kingdom didn’t know the contents inside of it, Rika had died with those secrets.

A new thought emerged into her mind. Could Rika have been affected by her own curse, too?

Before she could contemplate any further, the mirror in the corner started flickering. She turned to find a silver light gleaming from behind the glass, and Zen’s face appeared, his half-lidded eyes drooping in sleepiness. They only fully opened when he saw her, then crinkled when he smiled immediately.

“Did you just wake up, too? The two of us waking up at the same time… it makes me feel like we had just been sleeping together.” He realized what he said and made a rough cough, clearing his throat. “Not that I was imagining you sleeping with me! I mean, I was, but in an innocent way! I wouldn’t do anything to you, I promise.”

She chuckled. “You’re probably thinking that because I helped you get home last night. Remember?”

Zen paused for a moment before last night’s events slipped back into his mind. It looked like a light bulb shined over his head, although that could have been his face already looking dazzling in the morning.

“You’re right,” he gasped. “You’re so thoughtful, MC! I can’t believe you brought me back here. No, I shouldn’t be surprised. When I first laid my eyes on you, I knew you were a kind person.”

She swatted her hand. “It’s nothing, really. Are you feeling okay? You don’t have a headache, do you?”

He grinned and put up a peace sign. “Don’t worry. I can hold my liquor. It’s one of my many talents aside from my stunningly good looks,” he bragged. “Speaking of which, I should go upstairs. I have so much time to practice now that I don’t have to be stuck guarding that castle anymore!”

“I heard from Yoosung that you practice whenever you can in your spare time. It’s admirable that you’re so dedicated to acting and singing, Zen.”

“Of course. When you’re amazing at something, it’s only natural that you would stay passionate about it.” He said this as if he should be bragging, but something in his smile seemed happier than usual to hear the compliments from her. “It would be a crime to hide it from the rest of the world.”

His smile faded at the end of that sentence. A wistful gaze passed over his face.

“Although… if the rest of the world doesn’t want to watch you, it’s not any different, is it?”

Instinctively, she replied, “That’s not true. I would watch you. I saw you perform at the tavern. You were amazing!”

He blinked. “Really? So… you don’t think it was foolish of me to quit being a knight?”

She knew this was going against what Jaehee had asked of her. She knew that pursuing the arts wasn’t sustainable, both in her world and even more so in their world. But she couldn’t forget how beautiful he sounded when he sang, and how it wasn’t until she transported into another world entirely that she could be moved by this level of talent.

Plus, it made Zen happy. And wasn’t happiness ultimately the only thing people needed in life?

“I want you to chase after your dreams.”

His face brightened. It was the kind of expression that made her sure no one had told him those words in a long time.

“Will you watch me perform, then?” he asked. “Last night, you only saw me acting like a drunken fool. This time, I want you to see my true abilities.”

She could hear Jaehee’s voice in the back of her head, telling her that he needed to get his job back as a knight. But he looked so happy just knowing there would be someone in the audience watching him, that she couldn’t refuse.

 

* * *

 

She was surprised to see the horse had still been waiting patiently outside of the shrine, but was glad that Seven’s magic still worked. It allowed her to take a horse carriage ride back to Zen’s place, where he would perform on stage for her. The day was still a bright and early morning, so the roads were much quieter as she traveled.

When she arrived at the theater, she creaked the doors open to see Zen on the stage, his back turned as he practiced his vocal warm-ups. He heard her come in and spun around. Even though there were no spotlights, somehow his red eyes still shined.

“You’re here,” he said, barely containing the excitement in his voice.

She crossed down the long aisle so that she could reach the center seat in the front row. “I’m so lucky to get a private show,” she said. “That means I can sit right in the front seat!”

She was about to sit down on the stone bench before Zen extended his arm out to her, gesturing for her to come up on stage with him. She cocked her head to the side curiously, but took his hand anyway. He helped her up on the steps so that she could stand beside him on elevated platform.

“I wanted to practice one of my favorite monologues, but it requires talking to another actor,” he said. “I’m so used to speaking to nothing but thin air all the time… so I was hoping you could play the other role.”

“Me? I don’t think I would be very good at this.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry. I just need another person to help me envision my interaction with the other character. Of course, it also helps that you’re standing in as my love interest.”

She wasn’t sure what that meant until he pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her back. With his other hand, he held her chin and drew his face to hers. They were centimeters apart, so close that she thought they would kiss. But somehow the fact that his lips were only a breath away from hers made the tension all the more thicker.

“Wherever you are, whoever you’re with… I’ll find you and bring you back. Even if we are worlds apart, I’ll always love you. You and I are meant to have the true ending together.”

His voice was soft, but strong at the same time. It was the kind of line delivered with such gentle conviction that even if the theater was packed with an audience, she was sure he could quiet an entire room.

He continued the rest of his monologue, maintaining the crisp quality in his voice and the deepness in his tone the whole time. His gaze looked different, even though they were the same red eyes she admired. She opened her mouth, but she was speechless, consumed within the scene. They stood on an empty platform in the middle of an abandoned building - no props, no sets, no music - but from his acting alone, he weaved an incredible story.

It was his acting that helped her become immersed in this fictional romance. A tale of two lovers who weren’t meant to be together, because they came from different worlds. His words were just lines, but in that moment, it felt like the realest thing she had ever experienced.

Zen gazed at her. She felt his eyes scanning every inch of her face, but stopping right at her lips.

“May I kiss you?” he whispered.

She didn’t know if that was part of his monologue. She didn’t know if he was acting, because the desire on his face looked so genuine.

He leaned his face to hers. She held her breath and closed her eyes.

And then they heard clapping.

The sudden noise pulled her back into reality. She took a step back and turned to the source of the sound. She hadn’t realized the entrance doors were open, and a girl had stood there giving them applause.

She continued clapping as she crossed down the aisle. The girl had long, brown hair that curled past her shoulders, and wore a beautiful blue gown that trailed after her heels as she walked gracefully towards them. The dress was a baby blue color that matched her eyes, which sparkled as they fixed on Zen.

“That was amazing,” she said. “There is no doubt about it… it has to be you!”

Zen blinked, but chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Are you a fan, my dear?”

“I’m not just a fan. I’m someone who’s going to change your life.” She smiled and curtsied in front of the stage. “My name is Choi Kyungju, but you might know me as the Echo Princess.”

The mention of the Echo Kingdom rang a familiar bell with MC as she recalled Jaehee saying that the princess was visiting Jumin. But why was she here instead?

She held her arm up in the air so that Zen would climb down the stage and kiss her hand. “It is an honor to meet you, princess. My name is Zen. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I was just visiting the Mystic Kingdom for a possible… arrangement,” she answered, wrinkling her nose as if she recalled an unpleasant memory. “It turned out quite poorly. But maybe this is for the best, since I ended up finding someone even better.”

“I’m sorry your visit hasn’t been turning out well,” Zen said. “If I could brighten your day just a little bit, that would be my honor.”

“Oh, but you have! I want you to come with me to the Echo Kingdom and perform at our castle. Everyone in the royal court would love you!”

Zen widened his eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Absolutely!”

Zen gawked at the princess, then turned around. “Did you hear that, MC? The Echo Princess wants  _ me _ to perform for her!

She was so surprised that she didn’t know how to respond. “That’s so great, Zen,” she finally said. She really was happy for him. It sounded like all of his dreams were coming true. But why did she have a strange feeling tugging at her?

MC opened her mouth to congratulate him again more convincingly, but the sound of a ringing bell echoed in the distance. They looked around the theater, unsure of where the sound was coming from. It was muffled, but still seemed like it was inside.

She realized the bell was ringing from downstairs. “I’ll go see what that’s about,” she offered, not wanting the bell to interrupt Zen’s potential opportunity with the Echo Princess. “Please, you two go ahead and continue.”

She left the stage and went downstairs into the basement. She could hear the voices of Zen and the Echo Princess exchanging plans, and tried to ignore it. As she reached Zen’s room, she shook her head. Why was she feeling so strange? It was like something was pulling at her heartstrings, even though she should have been excited for Zen.

No, she  _ was _ excited for him. His dreams were coming true.

What she was worried about was him moving away.

When it came to preparing for the ceremony, even though it was a confusing ordeal under strange circumstances, at least she had five new companions to help her. But if Zen decided to move to a different kingdom, would he still be able to be with them? Would she see him again? And then another alarming thought flitted through her mind: would he remain cursed?

She tried to swallow down her worries and pushed them aside so that she could tend to whatever was causing the ringing bell. It came from the standing mirror in his room. When she approached the glass, she found Jumin sitting in his throne from the other side.

He stopped ringing the bell in his hand. “Finally you came,” he said. “I’ve never had to wait so long for someone to appear at my calling.”

“Um, did you need me?” she asked. He didn’t look like he was particularly excited to see her - his cheek had been resting on his hand, like he was bored.

But his words spoke differently. “Yes, I do. I know this is quite late notice, but I’d like you to report to the castle at once.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Not at all. My father simply wanted to meet the person who will help perform the ceremonies again at our castle,” Jumin replied. “Therefore, this afternoon, you and I will be having lunch together.”


	5. The Cold Prince

****Jumin wanted to have lunch with her. _The_ Prince Jumin Han, heir to the entire Mystic Kingdom, wanted to sit down and talk to a total stranger like her. All because she might be able to save their kingdom with some fabled ceremony that she had never performed before.

No pressure or anything, right?

She left the basement and headed to the entrance of the theater to ride a carriage to the castle. The Echo Princess was still there, fawning over Zen and practically having hearts in her eyes. But Zen stopped their conversation and grabbed MC by the wrist.

“Where are you going?” he asked, a concerned look on his face. “Are you leaving because of me?”

The fact that he was still worried about her, even though an amazing opportunity was standing right beside him, made her feel a lot better about the situation. “No, not at all. Jumin just wanted me to have lunch with him.”

Zen dropped his jaw and looked like his eyeballs were going to pop out. “He asked you out on a _date_?! That’s even worse! You cannot trust ANY man, MC! I beg of you, do not see him!”

Zen was fuming so much that she thought there was steam blowing out of his head. She tried to relax him, explaining, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that. I think his dad just wants to talk me through with the ceremony for the kingdom. Besides, there’s no way a prince like Jumin would be interested in me…”

The Echo Princess crossed her arms and pouted. “Of course he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t even give me the time of day when I visited the castle,” she complained. “I tried to be friendly with him, and he wouldn’t even kiss my hand! My feelings were so hurt, you know?"

Zen grabbed the Echo Princess’s hands in his and placed it on his chest. “What a terrible ordeal you went through with such a heartless jerk,” he said. “Please, do not think badly of our kingdom. I assure you that not all men are as awful as he is. In fact, that jerk doesn’t even belong in the human species!"

MC cocked her head to the side. Didn’t Zen just tell her not to trust any man? It was strange that he wanted to reassure the princess to give other suitors a chance, but protested at the idea of MC getting closer with another man. She wondered why that was the case.

Regardless, the teary-eyed Echo Princess was nuzzling up to Zen’s chest and asking him to comfort her, so it seemed like this was a good chance to leave. “I’ll see you later,” she said, slipping out the doors.

“MC, wait—“ Zen protested, but was pulled back by the princess as she asked him to hold her.

MC climbed onto the horse carriage and, predictably, felt the cart start moving along, as if the horse automatically knew they needed to go to the castle. She was amazed that Seven’s magic could do so much to help her, and reminded herself to thank him again next time.

Around afternoon time, the horse carriage pulled up in front of the castle, and the guards allowed her access past the gates. She expected to see Jaehee at the entrance, greeting her like last time, but was sad to realize that the advisor was gone. She must still be traveling across the country and searching for Zen’s replacement.

The thought of Jaehee’s tireless work made her ball her fingers into a fist. Maybe Zen was right about Jumin being a jerk. He was insensitive towards Jaehee and treated her like a slave who would obey his every whim. That made him a little harder to like. But was it the curse that made him so cold and unsympathetic towards others?

Two guards escorted her to the back end of the castle. They led her outside, down the familiar path to the maze garden, where she had found Elizabeth. She figured she probably shouldn’t mention that she found Seven playing with the cat in this area, and pretend like this was her first time being here in front of Jumin.

In the center of the garden was a large, open circle, where tables and chairs were set up for lunch. Jumin sat at one of them, his legs crossed, his eyes closed as he sipped tea out of his cup. When he opened them, she gazed into his dark irises and wondered what thoughts lied behind the shadows in his eyes. It wasn’t until he gestured an arm to the chair beside him that she realized she had been staring for too long.

She gave a quick bow, unsure of what was considered courteous to the royal family in this world, before taking a seat. “Thank you for inviting me for lunch with you today.”

“That was my father’s idea, not mine. I am not involved with bringing you here at all,” Jumin replied.

She awkwardly sipped her tea, trying to decipher his response. Did he mean that he didn’t even want her to be here? Or did he not even care about her presence at all? She wasn’t sure which was worse. In the short time she had been here, she was able to get along with everyone she met through the mirror except for him. She realized that she had hardly interacted with him, and felt strange that she finally was—alone.

She looked around the garden. “Where is your father, Prince Han?”

“You’re not my advisor. You can just call me Jumin,” he said. “And it appears that he’s running late. I always considered him to be a punctual man, but then again… maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by any of his behavior anymore.”

He sounded displeased by the end of his sentence. She remembered one of the comments he made when they first talked through the mirror. He had complained that the curse made his father weak towards women, which led him to rule the kingdom irresponsibly. She realized that must have been hard for Jumin to watch over the past few years, just like how it was difficult for Yoosung to deal with his parents restarting every day. But while Yoosung got to move out of his town and live with his guild, Jumin was still living in this castle, watching his father become afflicted by the curse with each waking hour.

“I’ll try my best to help him, Jumin. And to help everyone.”

“Thank you. I know it won’t be an easy feat. But I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

She nodded, feeling slightly more confident with his words of affirmation now. “In return, though, I was hoping you could also do a  favor for me.”

He cocked an eyebrow cautiously. “What is it?”

“Well, I was hoping you could take it easy on Jaehee. Especially with her having to recruit a bodyguard for Elizabeth. She spends countless hours fulfilling your requests, but every worker needs a break.”

Jumin frowned. “Why would I give her a break? She is my advisor, and it is her job to fulfill my requests. In fact, she spends most of her daily life in this castle, so sending her out on a trip could be even considered a vacation for her.”

“But don’t you think that her quality of work might improve if she had more time to herself outside of work? It would be nice if she could go out on her own free will, not whenever you tell her to do so.”

“Absolutely not. Advisor Kang needs to be at my side at all times and listen only to me. Even sending her out in the world is a risk, since she cannot address me immediately now. But I figured the trip would be something nice for her to do outside of the castle - that ‘time for herself’ you are talking about.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. Jaehee was expected to be at the prince’s side at all times? So before this, Jaehee rarely even got to go outside of the castle? That might as well be keeping a prisoner. She couldn’t believe that Jumin also thought sending her out on a cumbersome task was like a vacation to Jaehee - could he truly be this disillusioned? She had to wonder, again, if this was the curse that was making him act this way.

“You seem displeased,” he said, observing her face. “It was not my intention to put you off. But I hope you refrain from bringing this up again. I have my reasons for doing what I do, and it is quite inappropriate that you question my ways when we just met.”

She bit her lip and ate her biscuit. This lunch, ‘date’ or not, was definitely not going well. She fidgeted in her seat and was relieved to spot someone arriving inside the garden. The decorative outfit he wore indicated that he was truly the king, even if no words were spoken yet. But she didn’t recognize the other woman beside King Han. She had dark magenta hair and wore a bright shade of red lipstick that seemed to have a permanent smirk.

“Pardon me for being late. I got a little carried away.” He chuckled at his last sentence as he exchanged looks with his partner.

Jumin stood up from his chair. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing someone with you.”

“Aren’t surprises even better?” King Han asked, but the look on Jumin’s face showed that he was anything but surprised. “Jumin, this is Duchess Glam Choi. She’s a very important woman in my life right now.”

She covered her mouth to stifle her giggle. “Oh, dear, you make me blush!”

They took a seat across from Jumin and MC. Jumin, whose lips were now twisted downwards, obligingly sat back in his chair. If she didn’t feel awkward before, she definitely felt awkward now. Even a blind person would have detected that Jumin wasn’t very happy about his father’s partner.

Despite this, the king seemed oblivious to his son’s chagrin. He turned to MC and gave a polite smile. “You must be MC. I heard from Jumin that you are the one meant to break the curses in this kingdom. It’s a great relief to have you here."

She nodded. “Thank you. I’ll do my best to help everyone.”

“Your job is to peer into everyone’s hearts and see the reason why we have these curses, correct?” King Han asked. “Before you take care of the rest of the kingdom, I would love for you to help me out first. This is an urgent matter within the royal family.”

She blinked, not expecting to be put on the spot so suddenly. “Um, sure, I could try.” So this was why the king wanted to meet her over lunch: so that they could converse and let her find out more about him. “Maybe we can start off with you telling me what you think your curse is?”

He laughed. “Oh no, I’m not talking about me.”

Glam Choi mimicked his laugh. “You’re perfect just as you are, dear!”

He nodded approvingly at her, then gestured to Jumin.

“I was hoping you could help me out with breaking my son’s curse. The other day, I invited the Echo Princess to come visit us for a possible marriage arrangement, but he rudely turned her away in disdain. For years he has refused to marry any woman I suggest, and even has the audacity to proclaim his cat will be his only queen!” He sighed. “You can see how this is very worrisome for me, since I expect to pass on my kingdom to a king and queen someday. I don’t know what is wrong with him to make him hate women so much.”

Jumin narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps it’s the type of women that you bring along, Father,” he said. “I have no interest in women who only seek marriage to attain wealth.”

Glam Choi stiffened, but was quick to plaster on a pleasant smile. “Maybe I can interest you with a possible marriage. I know this wonderful girl—“

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Jumin said, not even bothering to look at Glam Choi. “As far as I know, this lunch was meant to be a private discussion with MC for what the ceremony entails. Not some indirect scheme to pair me off with yet another shallow marriage candidate while seeing my father sit next to his own.”

“Oh, don’t be so cold, Jumin dear,” Glam Choi said. “We’re family now, aren’t we? Or we will be soon…”

She reached across the table and placed her hand over Jumin’s. Instinctively, he stood up, making the table rattle. One of the teacups rolled over and spilled onto the grass. Glam Choi gasped and jumped back from her seat, keeping her shoes away from the puddle.

“Jumin!” his father snapped. “What is wrong with you?”

“There is nothing wrong with me. I just realize that this conversation will not be productive in the slightest, and am cutting it short for efficiency. Goodbye.”

He turned around and briskly left the patio area, slipping into the rest of the garden maze. King Han scowled, while Glam Choi tried to coax him, saying that it was okay since none of her clothes got wet. MC gulped and followed after him, not regretting to leave this painfully awkward lunch.

It proved difficult finding Jumin within the garden maze. She tried several pathways before figuring that at some point, he must have left entirely. She searched the castle and asked some of the guards, but it seemed that Jumin had already went past the gates. She bit her lip, worrying about where he went off to. Leaving the castle, she spotted Seven’s horse carriage still waiting for her, and rushed over to the horse’s side.

“Please help me find Jumin,” she said, petting the horse’s snout. She didn’t know if Seven’s magic could work like this, but it seemed promising enough when she climbed into the carriage and felt the vehicle begin to move right away.

The carriage rode down a few streets in a nearby town before she looked out the window and found Jumin. He had sat down on a curb, lost in his own thoughts. He didn’t see her until she shouted his name.

“Jumin! There you are… are you okay?”

He looked up at her, his eyes widened just slightly with a faint hint of surprise. “MC,” he said. “I’m sorry you have to see me like this.”

She got out of the carriage and walked over to his side. “No, it’s fine. It’s reasonable for you to be upset… and it’s okay to express how you feel.”

He shook his head. “Feelings are a waste of time. They’re the reason why my father is acting so foolishly in the first place. If my curse is having no emotions, I’d rather say it’s a blessing. A man who can’t control his own feelings is despicable.”

She tucked her long skirt beneath her legs as she sat down on the curb beside Jumin, consciously staying a foot apart from him. It was clear that he didn’t like being touched, and she wanted to respect that.

“You must have watched your father with all of these women for years ever since the curse,” she contemplated out loud. “I’m sure it was very hard for you.”

“I usually tolerate it. It’s not so bad as long as they don’t bother me directly.” His eyebrow twitched in annoyance. “However, I fail to understand why they always have such irritating voices and enjoy laughing at everything, even when there is nothing funny.”

"But it doesn't matter how their appearances or voices are. It matters who the person is, right?"

“On the contrary, from my experience I’ve had a 100% correlation rate that if they have an annoying voice, then they have an annoying personality. All of my father’s women have been like that,” Jumin said. “While on the other hand, you have a very pleasing voice, and you seem much better to be around with.”

She was nearly taken aback. “Oh, thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment. I’m only speaking objectively.” He sighed. “I don’t understand why people are so foolish when they think they are in love. I assumed it was the curse that made my father this way, but people have been blinded by such trivial emotions since the dawn of mankind. Pointless gestures, like hand-holding or kissing… why would anyone have the desire to do these things?”

She hummed under her breath, thinking. She didn’t have much experience with love, but she always kept an open mind to it. Meanwhile, such an idea seemed completely out of Jumin's realm. Zen had claimed the prince had no heart, but could the curse have really taken away such deep and important emotions from him?

“I don’t think things like that can be explained,” she said. “They can only be felt.”

A scowl marred Jumin’s face. He turned his face away in disdain. “What a waste of time,” he muttered.

She bit her lip, trying to think of something more agreeable for Jumin to shift his focus to. She looked up and scanned the distance, seeing specks of people in town, chattering and going by their daily lives. A smile slowly formed on her lips as she held her finger up with a new idea.

“Let’s be proactive with our time, then! We both expected to prepare for the ceremony today, right?” she suggested. “What better way to break everyone’s curses than to talk to the people themselves? After all, I need to start inviting people to the ceremony, and it’d be great if I could have your help.”

Jumin pursed his lips. “That does sound like a better use of our time.” He stood up and dusted off his trousers. “Very well then. I apologize that lunch didn’t go as smoothly as I wanted, but I’ll accompany you for the rest of the afternoon.”

 

* * *

 

True to his word, Jumin stayed by her side for the rest of the afternoon as they traveled by horse carriage around the neighboring towns. She was glad that she got this opportunity to explore more of the kingdom, and relieved that someone of royalty like him didn’t seem to mind traveling with her. Zen had made him out to be a snooty, spoiled prince, but he didn’t once complain about walking around by foot and talking to so many people.

Maybe this was a new experience to him, just like it was for her. After all, Jaehee had said that the royals often stayed inside the castle as if it were their own bubble. If that was the case, it would do the future heir of the kingdom some good if he were to get more acquainted with his people.

In order to take notes for the guest list, she bought a notebook and quill pen from a local shop. The owner was quick to give it to her for free after seeing she was beside the presence of the royal prince, and even offered them food to cover for their lunch. With each person they conversed with and invited to the ceremony, she diligently scribbled down their names and notes for their curses within the pages.

It was a few hours into this that she found that while Jumin’s presence helped solidify attendance to the ceremony, he wasn’t the greatest people person. He preferred to observe from the background, but in the times that he did speak, it seemed to do little in consoling any victims who were afflicted by the curse.

When they talked to a young girl studying astronomy, she explained that her curse was failing her studies. She said that she took interest in stargazing because she had her first kiss during a shooting star. Jumin interrupted and said that if she wanted to do her job right, she should have calculated the star’s life span. MC had to laugh nervously and comfort the young astronomer so her feelings wouldn’t get hurt.

When they chatted with a scientist struggling to gain funding for his research about animal allergies, Jumin argued that was the scientist’s own fault for trying to demonize cats. He rattled off about how any allergy to cats was simply biased and that people could cure it just by spending more time with cats. She was quite sure that wasn’t how allergies worked.

When they crossed paths with an aspiring romance writer, who claimed her curse was writer’s block and requested for new ideas, Jumin told her that good ideas didn’t matter in an industry that only constructed false ideas of love for capitalist consumerism. _That_ was the least romantic idea of all.

By the end of the day, they sat inside the horse carriage as MC flipped through her notebook pages. They were able to invite a few dozen guests to the ceremony, which was a great start, considering how fickle some of the conversations turned out. Jumin peered over her notebook with curiosity as she scribbled down her last thoughts.

“Did talking to all of these people today help you figure out their curses?” Jumin asked. “To be honest, it sounded like we were just listening to a bunch of complaints, so it was quite tiresome for me.”

She smiled. “It helped a lot. I’m really glad I got to talk to everyone.”

He cocked his head to the side. “You are oddly enthusiastic after enduring a full day of people venting their trivial problems. They hardly sounded like actual curses.”

“That’s because they weren’t. Often times, people are unaware of what’s truly bothering them. But you can see it if you read between the lines,” she explained. She began flipping through the pages and pointing to each individual name she had written down. “The girl who loves watching stars - her true curse is ‘nostalgia’. She’s lost in her once-fond memories of the past. She fell out of touch with her cherished childhood friend that she used to stargaze with. I could tell that she misses them deeply… that’s probably why she can no longer concentrate on her studies.”

She turned to another page and continued. “The allergy scientist’s curse is ‘untrustworthiness’. He’s lost others’ faith in him, and that’s why he can’t get any funding for his research no matter how hard he tries.” She tapped her finger over another name. “And the romance writer, well, her curse is ‘heartbreak’. She lost hope in her own love life, and that’s why she can’t seem to get any new ideas for her stories.”

She analyzed her writing, making note that at some point in the ceremony, she would have to write all of this down on the scrolls to make sure they were sealed. She needed to make sure that she had everything correct to make the process go as smoothly as possible.

“You are very perceptive,” Jumin observed. “I apologize that I couldn’t be of any help with figuring out the curses.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m glad you came! It was very fun today, actually… but I’m sure it was tiring for you.”

Jumin gestured his hand out so that she could hand over the book to him. He propped it on his knee and turned to a new page so that he could begin writing.

“It’s not much, but I do have one name to contribute,” he said.

She peered curiously at his handwriting, wondering who it could be. Maybe he still wanted to address his father’s curse immediately after the messy incident during lunch. But she wasn’t quite sure if his curse was truly being weak with women, and had a feeling there must be more to it that would explain his behavior. She just needed more time to figure out what it was.

But when Jumin moved his hand away, she was surprised to see that he had written a different name.

_Jaehee Kang_

_‘Obedience’_

She blinked as Jumin gave the notebook back to her. “Obedience,” she murmured, more to herself than to him. She wasn’t questioning it. Instead, she was working out why this might actually be the true curse. The gears in her brain were winding at the same time as he explained it to her.

“Advisor Kang will listen to anyone’s command, no matter how laboring the request is. It is the reason why she is a great advisor. But it also a curse in the sense that she will be vulnerable to fulfilling everyone else’s needs over her own. I trust that you will keep this secret to yourself, MC. If people were to find out about her curse, many would take advantage of it in horrible ways.”

She remembered the way Jaehee’s back straightened upon Jumin’s command to scour the country in search of a new bodyguard. She remembered the brisk pace that Jaehee walked and how the advisor went to work right away, as if she had no choice. It wasn’t that Jaehee was stuck in this job. It was that she truly had no agency to follow her own will.

Something twisted in MC’s stomach at that revelation. What a horrible curse to have. She couldn’t imagine what life would be like for someone who could never fulfill their own dreams and desires. And that made it all the more important that she had to save Jaehee.

Jumin perked his head up when something caught his attention. “Ah. A lost cat.”

Without hesitating, he opened the door and left the carriage. She looked out the window to see him approaching a tiny kitten wandering around. The kitten mewed at him and hesitantly drew closer to Jumin, who had his arms extended out to the animal. After gaining trust, the kitten curled up in his arms and nuzzled in his chest. Jumin scanned the area before locating someone in the distance. He rushed over to them even as the dirt scuffled his shoes, just so that he could return the cat to its proper owner.

She smiled as she watched the situation play out before her. Zen was wrong - Jumin wasn’t a cold prince. If he was truly unfeeling, he wouldn’t hold such sympathy towards other animals. Even though he wasn’t great with expressing emotions and dealing with other people’s feelings, surely, he still had a kind heart. He was the kind of person that she was certain could rule his kingdom with the best intentions for everyone.

When he returned to the carriage, she closed the notebook and beamed at him. “Thank you, Jumin.”

He blinked. “For what?”

“For looking out for Jaehee.” His blank face showed that he still didn’t understand what she was talking about, so she continued. “You’ve kept Jaehee inside the castle so that she wouldn’t be taken advantage of by people in the outside world. In that way, she’s safe inside the bubble. People know that she’s your advisor and therefore think that she will listen to only your commands.”

Jumin pursed his lips. “That’s an interesting theory,” he said, neither denying nor confirming it.

“I would also venture another guess that you made Jaehee cut her hair and dress more androgynous on purpose,” she said. “Because a woman with that kind of curse is even more vulnerable to being exploited by others.”

It was strange to wrap her mind around this. By acting controlling over Jaehee, it was Jumin’s odd way of protecting her. She wasn’t sure if it was the right method or not, but it certainly did seem to have helped so far. But she still wanted more to life for Jaehee.

“Jumin… can you reconsider taking back the search for Elizabeth’s bodyguard for Jaehee?” she asked. “Even though your intentions are good, in the end, she’s still not following her own will. I want to help her find her own agency again, but I can’t do that if she’s not here.”

Jumin mulled over her words. “Very well. I’ll send a letter for her to come back.”

She beamed a smile. Despite the full day of talking to people from the kingdom and deciphering their curses, getting Jaehee back was the best accomplishment yet. She couldn’t wait for her return.

Jumin was still looking at her, as if there were thoughts streaming through his mind that he wasn’t speaking out loud. The way he looked at her seemed different than his passive glance earlier at their lunch.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing. I was just thinking that, even though it was tiring talking to commoners, I had a bit of fun with you today,” he said. “I’m glad that you are helping us with the ceremony. You’re a very perceptive person. After watching you interact with people today, it’s admirable that you can talk to others so easily and naturally. I always thought feelings were a waste of time, because they make business unproductive. But somehow, you are able to utilize it for the better good. You have an innate talent for connecting with people.”

He paused for a beat.

“In short, I’m glad that you’re here.”

She gaped her mouth open, but wasn’t sure what to say. She realized that when Jumin was beside her today, he must have spent most of it observing her rather than the others. The thought of that flustered her, but she was glad that he seemed to think highly of her capabilities. She thought that she was just talking to people casually - but the way he framed it almost seemed like he was giving her a compliment.

Her lips parted, almost about to say ‘thank you’, but she stopped herself. After all, Jumin was only speaking objectively, as he always did.

But she didn’t expect him to smile at her. It was a small smile, but a kind one nonetheless. He leaned forward to her, and muttered, “You can consider that a compliment.”

A blush crept to her cheeks, but she tried to shake it off by nodding. He glanced outside the window of the carriage and saw that the sun was already beginning to set. He peered out of the window and called for the horse to them back to the castle.

They spent most of the carriage ride back to the castle in silence. Normally she would have spoken up and made conversation, but Jumin was probably the type who was too used to forced small talk, and she didn’t want to tire him even more with that. Besides, this silence felt different than the one at lunch. Somehow, it felt more comfortable.

Perhaps she was also inclined to speaking less because it turned out she was a lot more tired than she thought. She had spent the whole day traveling around towns, walking around shops, and standing and talking to people for extended hours of time. But it didn’t hit her how physically draining that was until she finally relaxed in the carriage seat.

She didn’t even realize she had fallen asleep until they reached the castle.

Jumin woke her up. When she opened her eyes, the sky was already beginning to turn dark. It took her a second before she realized her head had nodded off onto Jumin’s shoulder. She pulled away from him, alarmed.

“I’m so sorry!” How long had she fallen asleep on him like that? She didn’t even want to know. She tucked her hair behind her ear in embarrassment.

“It’s not a problem. I didn’t want to disturb your sleep.”

She knew that he didn’t like being touched. So why was he being so accepting of it now? She peered out of the window and saw that they had approached the gate entrance of the castle. She was also sitting in the seat next to the door, blocking his way of leaving. Worried about being even more of an inconvenience, she got up to leave, only to be held back by a sudden touch.

Jumin had placed his hand on top of hers. “Wait.”

She looked at him, confused.

“Let’s stay here longer.” He paused. “I don’t want to leave just yet.”

She stayed still, wondering if he wanted to take a detour and go somewhere else, but he didn’t move either. He seemed content with just staying seated as they were.

“You said that these things can’t be explained. They can only be felt,” he said quietly. “So let me try this. Just for a little bit.”

She wondered why he suddenly felt inclined to try it, especially with her. She also wondered if he really felt anything by holding her hand. But the fact that he was curious about what it would feel like to do it in the first place - did that count as a new feeling? Did it mean something to Jumin for him to want her to stay longer with him?

She didn’t know the answers to any of these questions, nor did she ask them. She simply stayed in the carriage with him, their hands holding, as they sat together in comfortable silence. And somehow, that quiet moment felt nicer than any lunch or conversation could have been.

 

* * *

 

After Jumin returned back to his castle, the carriage automatically drove her back to Rika’s shrine in the evening. She petted the horse’s snout and thanked the animal for the hard work today, feeling grateful that was able to travel around so much with Seven’s magic. If she wanted to invite as many people to the ceremony as possible, she would need to continue to do the same thing and cover the entire kingdom.

But for a first day of work, it didn’t turn out so bad. She gained a lot of new perspectives and a hefty guest list already. She smiled to herself as things finally seemed to be falling into place in this otherwise confusing world.

She left the carriage and was just about to enter the shrine until she spotted a shadowy figure crouched over the garden in the backyard. She had planted the seeds that Yoosung had given her, so no one else should have known that she was growing a fruit garden except for him. And she had a feeling that this mysterious figure wasn’t Yoosung.

She approached the figure cautiously, her eyes squinting to make out its shape in the darkness. “Who’s there?” she called out.

The figure stood up. She held her breath. And then, when Seven cast a ball of light to reveal himself, she let out a relieved sigh.

“You scared me, Seven!” she said. “I thought there was an intruder or something.”

His face remained solemn, an expression that she was not used to seeing on him. “You’d be right,” he said. “Someone trespassed here today.”

She widened her eyes. “What? You don’t mean…”

She thought about all of the scrolls sealed up in the shrine and how no one was supposed to ever touch it. She spun on her heels to hurry back, but Seven grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her close. He was so close to her now that his voice vibrated against her eardrums.

“Not in there,” he muttered. Then with his free hand, he held the ball of light up so that it would cast a glow across the entire garden. Except it wasn’t a garden anymore.

The plants had been uprooted, and the soil was a disheveled mess. But the most troubling of all was that, even though there were no footprints marked on the soil, someone had dug a message into the ground.

_"I WILL DESTROY YOU."_


	6. The Mischievous Wizard

 

_ “I WILL DESTROY YOU.” _

The message had been scrawled into the soil of the garden. Someone had gone out of their way to write this threatening note, and yet, they left no footprints. How was that even possible? 

Seven checked the shrine to make sure no one broke in. Fortunately, the protection spell he had cast on the shrine protected the property from any intruders, and only let the garden vulnerable since it was outside. They were relieved to see that all the scrolls were kept intact on the walls, unopened and undisturbed. 

Still, the fact that this unknown menace had torn up the garden discomforted her greatly. It felt like she was violated - after all, the only part of this shrine that truly belonged to her was the garden, and the vegetables and fruits she was going to plant had been a precious gift from Yoosung. 

Seven noticed the upset look on her face. He reached an arm out to her, but for some reason, pulled his hand back. Instead, he simply gave her a goofy smile.

“Don’t worry, MC. The intruder wasn’t able to break through my awesome force field. I’ll just cast the same magic onto the garden and the rest of the vicinity outside so that you’re even safer.” He pulled out his wand and winked. “You can go ahead and sleep. Don’t worry about this for now. Just leave it up to me, okay?”

“Okay… thank you, Seven.”

“No problem! I’m the Legendary Wizard Seven, after all!”

Because she didn’t have anything else she could do at this point, she listened to him and tried her best to fall asleep, even though her nerves were rattled. It took a while for slumber to finally take over her, but when she woke up, it was a bright and early morning again that almost fooled her into thinking this night never happened. That she simply had a wonderful day with Jumin and merely had a bad dream later that night.

But when she stepped outside, Seven was still there, casting his spells. He had his wand pointed to the sky, creating a force field that expanded all the way to the clouds. She also noticed the message on the garden had been erased, with the soil all patched up again. She wondered if he had done this too. Then she realized his hands were dirty.

He had been working all night. She couldn’t imagine how tired he must be. But when she approached him, he gave her a smile that was just as cheerful as last night.

“Morning! I just finished preparing everything, so we’re all set,” he said. “Let’s go to the Han Castle to meet up with everyone and figure out the rest from there.”

 

* * *

 

They met at one of the dining halls in the Han Castle with Jumin, Yoosung, and Jaehee, who had just returned from her trip after being called back by Jumin. She was happy to be see Jaehee again and be reunited with the other boys, but couldn’t help but feel disappointed that Zen was not present. She should have known - of course he would be busy from now on with the Echo Princess. The thought of not seeing him again saddened her.

So when Zen suddenly burst through the doors, her heart leapt. But wasn’t he busy? Why did he come here? The angry look on his face indicated that something was deeply troubling him.

“Jumin, what the hell did you do to MC?!” he yelled. He charged towards Jumin, and instinctively she ran between them and placed her palm on Zen’s chest, holding him back. 

“Zen, stop! Jumin didn’t do anything to me.”

Zen pulled away, blinking. A wave of relief washed over his face as he clasped his hand over hers, clutching it protectively to his chest. “But Seven announced there was an emergency. An unwanted menace was out to get you. I thought Jumin must have attacked you when you left to go see him, out of jealousy for the budding romance between you and I!”

Jumin cocked an eyebrow, as if he wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not. Seven clarified, “The menace isn’t Jumin. Actually, I don’t know who they are. All I know is that someone was trying to break through the barrier I put around the shrine, and when they couldn’t break it, they destroyed the garden outside and wrote down a threat.”

“A threat? What did it say?” Jaehee asked.

Seven curled his fingers into a fist, but tried his best to keep a composure as he answered, “I will destroy you.”

Yoosung widened his eyes in horror. He turned to MC, nearly shaking as a thousand horrific scenarios raced through his mind. “Are you okay? Were you in the shrine?!”

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t come back until late at night, so the intruder missed me. Fortunately.”

Yoosung was still panicking. “But why were you out so late? You still could have gotten hurt! If something happened to you, then I… I can’t let that happen again….!”

“She’s fine.” Jumin had finally spoken up. “She was with me the whole time. I kept her longer and didn’t send her back until much later. I’m glad that it ended up preventing her from danger.”

Zen narrowed his eyes. “And  _ why  _ did you keep an innocent girl like her out so late at night with you?”

Jumin returned Zen’s stare, and it looked like their gazes could burn down the castle. But that fire was quickly diffused when Jumin merely shrugged.

“I wanted to hold her hand.”

Wrong - the fire went blazing again. Zen screeched at the top of his lungs. “You did WHAT?!” 

“I was curious of what holding her hand would feel like, so I just did it. She didn’t seem to mind.”

“That’s sexual harassment, you bastard!” Zen yelled.

“What did it feel like?” Seven asked, fanning the imaginary flames.

Jumin mused over this with great contemplation. “Her hand was very soft. I would even say it’s almost as soft as Elizabeth’s fur.”

Zen clutched his skull between both of his hands and moaned as if he was in pain. “ARGGHH!! Don’t tarnish the image of MC’s skin like that!”

“You’re one to talk, Zen,” Yoosung murmured, but shot Zen a look that seemed to hint of jealousy. “You were the one who brought MC into your basement…”

"Only old perverts do that to innocent fair ladies!" Seven gasped, ditching the fan and deciding to just douse the entire fire with oil.

"What?! Yoosung took her to his room first, and he was sober!" Zen protested, pointing an accusatory finger at Yoosung. "Just because you've never had a girlfriend doesn't mean you're off the hook. In fact, you may be one of the most dangerous culprits, because you’re the most repressed!”

Seven shushed the room, as if he had something important to say. He turned to Jaehee. "The royal advisor has been quiet this whole conversation. Aren't the quietest ones usually those who have something to hide?"

Jaehee widened her eyes, then frowned at Seven. “Stop babbling nonsense, Luciel. MC and I are just friends.”

“Ohh, really?” Seven asked. “ _ Just _ friends?”

Jaehee’s ears turned red. She scoffed and turned away in annoyance. “Will you quit teasing everyone already and get back on topic?”

“The topic is still about the safety of MC,” Seven said. “I’ve been observing you all very closely, and it’s clear to see from everyone making the moves on MC for the past few days that I am the only trustworthy one here!”

Despite all the arguments up to this point, everyone could still answer this together in unison: “ _ Definitely not _ .”

MC put both of her hands up, trying to divert the topic back to its original point. She chuckled nervously, feeling awkward about being the center of attention. “So… about that message in the garden…”

Seven nodded, and like the flip of a light switch, became serious. “I wanted to bring everyone here to let them know what happened, and also as a warning for you all to be careful. I don’t know who this person is, but it’s pretty clear that they have malicious intentions.”

“But why would anyone do this?” Yoosung cried. “Rika doesn’t have any enemies. Everyone loved her. And MC is working so hard to prepare for a ceremony that will help the whole kingdom - it doesn’t make any sense!”

“V had said that the shrine kept important scrolls that not even MC is allowed to open,” Jaehee contemplated out loud. “Maybe that’s what the intruder was trying to get… but I don’t understand why.”

A blue light glowed underneath Seven’s robe. He shuffled his hands beneath the cloth and pulled out a crystal ball, which contained moving clouds that were beginning to disperse. V’s silhouette appeared within the crystals, but the image was so cloudy that MC could only recognize him by his hair rather than read his facial expression.

“Luciel. I am sorry that I didn’t hear your message in time,” V said.

“No, no, you’re right on time. Everyone is here now,” Seven replied, propping the crystal ball in the middle of the table so that the others could crowd around it. “I just briefed them on what happened. Do you have any idea who the intruder could be?”

They still could not read V’s expression. The fog surrounding him was too murky that they could not even see his eyes.

“No, I don’t know,” he said. “But I am glad that MC is safe.”

She nodded. “It’s all thanks to Seven’s spell. It was his barrier that protected me.”

“As always, I am grateful for Luciel’s talents,” V said. “It’s because he’s there that I’m not worried about the shrine. Whatever the intruder’s intentions may be, they won’t be able to get their hands on the scrolls that Rika sealed away.”

“But what about MC?” Yoosung spoke up, frustration bubbling in his voice. “Rather than a bunch of old scrolls, aren’t you going to do anything to make sure  _ she  _ is okay?”

“This goes in line with what I have been thinking for the ceremony date. I have been meaning to tell you all this.” He paused for a beat. “I think we should hold the ceremony in a week.”

“A week? But that’s not enough time to prepare at all!” Zen said.

“I know. But, as you can tell from last night’s incident, there is someone out there who wants to open the scrolls and ruin the ceremony. I would not be surprised if their malicious plans had been influenced by their own curse. There will be many people out there who will want to do harm because of their curses, and that’s why it’s important that we try to cure them as soon as we can. The longer we put off holding the ceremony, the worse the curses may become.”

Jumin mused over his friend’s words, and after a contemplative minute, obliged with a nod. “It will definitely be a rushed job… but I understand your point. We are all going to have to help MC to make sure the ceremony is a success.”

She gulped, feeling an enormous weight on her shoulders from the close deadline, but tried to shake off the nervousness. “Okay. I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you…” V murmured, and she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness in his voice. “I am sorry to leave so suddenly, but I must go now. It was good to see you all again. Stay safe. And Luciel…”

Seven perked his head up. “Yeah?”

“... I’ll trust you to take care of her.”

Those were V’s final words before he disappeared from the crystal ball. Seven didn’t say any response, but Yoosung was quick to speak up.

“All he did was set an impossible date for the ceremony. He barely stayed to help us,” Yoosung muttered, a scowl marring his face. “What was he in such a rush to leave for?”

“V has business trips too,” Jumin said. “His paintings are famous across countries. It’s not a surprise that he’ll be busy every now and then.”

“He seems to be busy whenever it’s  _ convenient _ ,” Yoosung retorted. “Ever since Rika passed away, he barely has time for us anymore. It’s like he’s hiding something.”

Jumin gave Yoosung a stern look. “Being friends with someone isn’t defined by how much time you spend with them,” he said. “And anyway, V being busy isn’t important. MC’s safety is. I will issue an extensive list of knights who will follow and guard her hour-by-hour.”

Zen stepped forward, placing a fist on his chest. “Leave that job to me, Jumin. I refuse to be your knight, but I’ll always be hers.”

“No one’s going to do anything.” To everyone’s surprise, it was Seven who had stopped them. “I will protect her. Even if it costs me my life, I will make sure she’s safe.”

There was a pause in the room, but Jaehee broke the moment of stunned silence. “You’re being unusually serious,” she said.

“That’s because I have a hunch that the person we’re dealing with might be the same person who brought her to this world,” he replied. “And I can’t think of anyone who is able to do that besides a wizard.”

Jaehee frowned. “That kind of magic is dangerous. Why would someone go through that extent to bring her here… to us?”

“I still need to figure that out. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. You just continue about your regular lives and try not to fret over it too much, okay? Legendary Wizard Seven will protect you from the shadows!”

Seven put up a peace sign and stuck out his tongue as his voice became cheerful again, but they knew he was sincere. Jumin expressed his hesitance about not sending at least one knight to guard MC, but Seven convinced him that if their unwanted intruder was truly another wizard, then their best chance of dealing with the menace would be Seven himself. When Zen asked if Seven wasn’t busy with his own work already, he told the knight not to worry and that he would simply multi-task. Zen’s lips twisted in worry, but he nodded and did his best to oblige.

In the end, everyone agreed that for now, Seven would watch over MC to keep her from harm. After all, it was him that had been asked by V to do so. And if V had asked him, that must have meant something, right?

The group dispersed from the meeting to follow their regular routine, like Seven said. While Zen had to return to the Echo Princess’s side to arrange a rehearsal schedule with her court, Jumin needed to return to his royal duties with Jaehee by his side for assistance. They left with each a reminder to MC to stay safe and be careful, and after that, the only people left remaining in the room were her, Seven, and Yoosung.

Yoosung had remained quiet for a while, still sitting at the end of the table with his arms crossed. He was biting the inside of his cheek while frowning, like a little boy who was upset that nobody was listening to him. 

“What’s wrong, Yoosung?” Seven asked. “Do you need help finding the bathroom? You look a little constipated.”

“I’m not!” Yoosung huffed. “I’m just wondering why it seems like I’m the only person who’s suspicious of V. What happened outside of Rika’s shrine is a serious matter, but he acted like he was trying to brush it off. Nobody questions why V disappears all the time. Am I the only one who thinks that way?”

“Well, you’ve always had some resentment against V,” Seven said.

“Not always. Not before Rika died.” Yoosung’s eyes cast downwards to his lap. “V… seems like a totally different person since then.”

A sad silence in the air, and Seven’s sudden quiet nature indicated that Yoosung was right. She wondered what V was like before Rika had died. It was hard to imagine a time where he was more talkative and not shrouded in mystery. Though she trusted V, she could understand why Yoosung would feel hurt by his absence.

Seven perked his head up, as if a light bulb flashed over his head. “Hey, you hungry?” he asked Yoosung. With the wave of a wand, he generated a small bag out of thin air. The bag fell into his hand, and he popped it open to release a sweet and savory smell. “Want some Honey Buddha Chips?”

Yoosung widened his eyes, immediately awestruck by the bag of chips. “What?! How did you do that?”

“Because I am God.”

“Liar! Tell me the truth. Ever since you gave me some to try, I’ve searched all over town to find those chips, but the shop owners look at me funny and act like Honey Buddha Chips don’t exist!”

“They definitely exist,” MC said. “We have those in my world. How did you get this, God Seven?”

Seven clicked his tongue. “It is a long story, one that I am not sure you will be ready to handle.”

“Just tell me where I can get those chips,” Yoosung said. He reached a hand out to grab the bag, but Seven pulled it away and hoisted it in the sky.

“Very well, I will tell you the story!” he declared, ignoring Yoosung’s protests. The redhead spun around and flicked his wand. The walls of the castle shrunk down and were replaced by a moving galaxy of stars. She had to maintain her balance to keep from getting dizzy in the simulation, but Yoosung’s eyes were already rolling.

“It happened in the year 37^2,” Seven began narrating.

“That’s not a real year,” Yoosung complained.

The walls transcended into a new setting that took place in an alleyway in the evening. They watched a simulation of Seven running down the alley, his boots splashing against the puddle as he panted in a mad chase. A few feet away from him, a group of people were darting away, blending in with the shadows.

“There was a Thieves Guild notorious for stealing rare items across the country. I was commissioned by a corrupt baron to track down these thieves and reclaim the gold that they had stolen, or else his family would discover that he had been money laundering. Basically, I was working for a bad guy to track down another group of bad guys.”

“What do chips have to do with this?” Yoosung asked.

Seven shushed him and pointed to the scene. One of the thieves tripped and fell during the run. The simulation of Seven waved a wand and lifted him from the ground. His body started shaking so that his pants would jingle like a coin purse as various items fell out of his pockets. One of them was a yellow bag with the logo that had been so familiar to MC. 

Seven took the bag, but the thief got on his knees and bowed down, begging for forgiveness. The thief began sharing his story.

“When I caught one of them, it was then I realized that they weren’t thieves. They were time travelers. Which means they were wizards, just like me,” Seven explained. “It’s one thing to do magic. Everybody knows it’s illegal. But time traveling is a different taboo entirely.”

Yoosung pursed his lips. “I’ve heard stories about this… isn’t that one of the most dangerous forms of magic?”

“It’s true. Time is not meant to be disrupted, no matter how great of a wizard you are. If you play with time too much, you’ll end up stuck in different dimensions, replaying the same story over and over.”

MC gulped. “Like… resetting?”

“That’s exactly what happened. They stole Honey Buddha Chips from one of the dimensions they traveled in, and the time warp created a shift that made them reset every time. Over time, they collected hundreds, no,  _ thousands  _ of these chips - enough to last a dozen lifetimes.”

“So… the reason why you always have those chips is because…” Yoosung’s voice trailed off.

“In the midst of my moral dilemma, I did the only thing I could do,” he said. “I, the selfless main character who pitied the wizards that lost their way, opened my heart and helped them by inheriting their lifetime supply of Honey Buddha Chips. And that, my friends, is the heroic reason for why I eat chips all the time.”

Yoosung scowled. “It sounds like you just wanted the chips to yourself.”

“So you’re saying you don’t want any?”

“No! No! I do!” Yoosung was quick to save face as he jumped up and down excitedly, reaching for the chips. Seven tossed the bag over to the shorter boy, who ripped it open and munched on the chips happily.

“Good boy,” Seven said, as if he were talking to a dog. “Now go home and study hard for your tests so you can be a genius like me!”

“Ohmkayyy,” Yoosung said between chews. He headed for the door, but not before grabbing MC’s hand. His face had turned serious for a moment as he swallowed. “MC… please stay safe.”

It wasn’t until he let go of her hand that she realized he placed a new batch of seeds in her palm.

“Now that Seven has extended the barrier around Rika’s shrine, you should plant the garden again. Remember to eat three meals a day, okay?” he said. “When you’re not around, I’m always wondering what you’re doing and how you’re feeling… even if it’s just a little bit, I want to protect you.”

She couldn’t help but feel some warmth spread across her cheeks. Yoosung beamed an innocent smile at her before leaving. She tightened her grip on the seeds he gifted to her and tucked them in her pocket, vowing to keep them safe. She wouldn’t let anyone destroy her garden or intimidate her into not performing the ceremony. Everyone was trying their best to make the ceremony a success for the kingdom - she needed to put in her hardest effort as well and not let them down.

She turned to Seven. “I’m going to continue traveling around the kingdom and inviting more guests to the ceremony. Would you like to join me today?”

He clicked his tongue. “I’d like to, but I’m busy today. I have too much work to complete before Mary Vanderwood nags me to death!”

“Oh… tomorrow, then?”

“Sorry, I’m busy tomorrow, too!”

She tried to hide her disappointment. Was he brushing her off? She wasn’t sure who Mary Vanderwood was, but it was clear that if he was going to be spending time with anyone, it wouldn’t be MC. It seemed like she had gotten to know everyone in their group except for Seven, who remained an enigma. 

In fact, she hardly knew anything about him. In the rare, brief moments that they did cross paths with each other, he revealed very little about himself. He always gave a jovial grin to her, usually as he was plotting some scheme, but there was something crooked about that smile. Like a veil that he purposely put up, not allowing to see through. Not even her. 

“I’ll be safe even if I go on my own, right?” she asked, trying to sound as cheerful and relaxed as possible. She didn’t want the others to worry about her safety, but she couldn’t help but feel trepidation at the idea of wandering around the kingdom on her own.

“Yup! Just leave it up to me,” Seven said, giving her a thumbs up, but no explanation as to how.

He walked with her outside of the castle, but they parted ways once they reached the gate. She grew nervous as she began roaming by herself, but wanted to trust Seven. He had promised that he would protect her. She wanted to believe in that promise.

 

* * *

 

She spent the rest of the day meeting and chatting with strangers to talk about their curses and invite them to the ceremony next week. She made sure to write down everyone’s names and jotted down notes for each of their unique characteristics. She found herself enjoying meeting all of these people and learning more about each one of them: there was a legendary lady who became rich by selling bracelets, a genius who was the youngest in his family to be accepted into a guild, a sewing expert who knew which string to use without even touching the fabric, and countless others that she had the pleasure of getting to know. 

Her most favorite acquaintance, however, turned out to not be a person, but a cat. A kitten had started following her shortly after she left the castle. At first she was worried that it had gotten lost from its owner - the cat had clean, white fur and a yellow ribbon tied around its neck, so she knew that it wasn’t a stray. And yet, no one seemed to recognize the cat, and the animal insisted on following her around as if it already knew her. People believed that the cat belonged to her instead.

The cat followed her all the way back to the shrine at the end of the day. Its big, blue eyes watched her intently as she stooped over the backyard and re-planted the garden with the seeds that Yoosung had gifted her. When she finished patching the soil, she knelt down next to the cat and stroked it under its chin.

“You’re so cute. I’d love to see the look on Jumin’s face if he saw you,” she cooed. “I really wonder why you followed me all the way here, though. Isn’t your owner worried?”

She felt a droplet hit her head and looked up to the sky. The gray clouds that gathered together were beginning to rain. A storm was coming. She shivered in the breeze, then wrapped the cat in her arms to carry it inside.

“It’ll be dangerous if I let you wander around now,” she murmured, letting it curl up on a pillow on her cot.

In truth, she also wanted to keep this cat beside her tonight because she feared sleeping alone. After all, someone had been close to barging into this shrine, stealing the scrolls, and even harming her. Imagining the possibility of that made her tremble, but she had done her best to put up a strong face in front of everyone. She didn’t want them to worry or trouble them by asking them to stay beside her.

But with this cat, she felt safer. And that was good enough.

The cat nuzzled into the pillow and fell asleep. She was getting ready for bed and changing into a new pair of more comfortable clothes when the windows flashed a bright light and the walls shook. A loud, crashing sound made her jump. It was thunder, but for a flicker of a moment, she had the horrifying thought that someone broke in.

The cat opened its eyes immediately and stood up.

“MC! MC! I sense you are scared meow. Do not worry meow. The source of noise is bad weather meow.”

She gasped, not believing her ears. “You can talk?!”

“I automatically turn on when I sense you are scared meow. I am here to protect you from any danger meow.”

She gawked at the cat for a long time as its eyes glowed. Then it finally clicked. “Seven… did he create you?”

The cat nodded vigorously. “God Seven, God Seven!”

She laughed and knelt down in front of the cat. She petted its head, admiring the work of Seven’s magic to create such an adorable animal who could protect her.

“Do you think you could call God Seven in the mirror?” she asked. “I’d like to thank him face-to-face.”

The cat nodded to her request and bounced over to the mirror. A red light began glowing from behind the glass, and Seven appeared with a grin of a boy who had just been caught.

She smiled back at him. “Seven, thank you for looking after me. I’ve been a little scared ever since last night, but… I feel safe knowing that you’re always there for me. ”

Seven gave a thumbs up. “I may be drowning in work, but I’ll never forget my duties to protect everyone!”

She sat in front of the mirror and let the cat climb onto her lap. As she stroked its fur, she said, “You’re very kind, Seven. You help people out in your own ways. When Yoosung was upset earlier today, I know you were just distracting him with your stories to make sure he wasn’t dwelling on negative thoughts.”

“That’s nothing,” Seven said. “Yoosung will believe everything I say. Not to say that my story was a lie, though.”

She pondered over the different elements in his story. The time travelers. The Honey Buddha Chips. The forbidden magic. There was one part that had stuck to her that she never got the chance to ask.

“Earlier, you said that everybody knows magic is illegal… is that true?”

Seven twirled his wand between his fingers. “Yup. Magic is forbidden in this world. It’s only allowed for priests and priestesses who can harness it properly to benefit the kingdom, but anyone else who uses magic is basically a criminal.”

“Why?”

“It’s incredibly dangerous to be tinkering with magic. Magic disrupts the natural physics of the world, so bad guys often hire wizards like me to perform it for their own gain. I think the only reason why Jumin hasn’t sent his guards to arrest me is because I’m close to V.”

She chewed on her lip in thought. “If magic comes at such a great cost, why did you become a wizard?”

Seven stopped twirling the wand in his fingers. He paused for a moment, as if he were deliberating on whether to answer her question or not. Finally, he did.

“It was to protect someone.”

He didn’t elaborate any further. She had a feeling that he wouldn’t even if she asked. But she was sure that whoever this person was, they were extremely important to Seven. Even now, he was protecting someone like her with magic. She smiled down at the cat that fell asleep in her lap.

“I don’t think you’re dangerous. You use your magic for good,” she said, petting the cat.

He let out a wry laugh.

“You’re wrong. I am dangerous. All wizards are.”

“Well, I don’t believe that--”

Seven cut her off. “Think of your favorite fairy tales.” 

She was too surprised by the random question to consider it. He continued anyway. 

“The damsel falls in love with all sorts of people in a magical, fantasy world. I’m sure that, to you, our world is just like that: a fairy tale. But I’m not your knight in shining armor. I’m not the prince who wakes you up with a kiss. I’m the wizard. And you should know, in every fairy tale that has ever existed, the wizard never ends up with the girl… because he would ruin her life.”

She stared at him in stunned silence. His voice sounded lonely and distant, as if he were weaving a story in which he already knew the ending. There it was again: the veil. It was there, even as he smiled and cheerfully told her to go to sleep as he would continue working for the rest of the night. He disappeared from the mirror, and she stared at her own reflection and the dismal expression on her face.

She had been right. She had gotten to know everyone in their group, except for Seven. But she was beginning to think that it wasn’t a veil that he had put up between them. It was a wall--one that seemed ever-expanding. 

As she went to sleep that night, she wondered if it would be possible for her to someday break down that wall and find out what was on the other side.

The thunder boomed louder outside. The storm wouldn't pass any time soon.  



End file.
